Wildlife Around Las Vegas, Southern Mountain Yellow-legged Frog (Rana muscosa)

Southern Mountain Yellow-legged Frog (Rana muscosa)
Amphibians Around Las Vegas, Wildlife Around Las Vegas

	General Description: Southern Mountain Yellow-legged Frogs (Rana muscosa) are creatures of high alpine streams and ponds in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of California that are free of introduced trout. These are the only leopard frog in these high elevations, and they have yellow on the underside of the legs and belly. Taxonomy: Family Ranidae: Brown Frogs. Technical Description: Body size large (to 3 inches). Dorsum reddish brown with smalls light and dark spots. Ventral surface light with yellow wash. Dorsolateral folds weak to prominent. Toe tips dark.
	Diet: Flying insects, especially grasshoppers. Habitat: High alpine streams and ponds Range: High elevations in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, also isolated population in southern California mountains. Breeding: Breeds May to August, starting as soon as the ice melts. Comments: These frogs are having a hard time because of loss of habitat. Wherever trout are present, these frogs disappear. Trout were widely introduced in the west by wildlife management agencies to promote fishing.
	Mountain Yellow-legged Frog in a shallow pond
	Mountain Yellow-legged Frog; note yellow wash and dark toe tips.
	Mountain Yellow-legged Frog
	Mountain Yellow-legged Frog
	Mountain Yellow-legged Frog tadpole.
	Mountain Yellow-legged Frog habitat is high alpine streams and lakes in the Sierra Nevada Mountains that are free of introduced trout. In this case, the pond is at an elevation over 10,000 feet and shallow enough to freeze solid during winter, preventing introduced trout from surviving here.
	If you were a tasty flying insect, you'd better hope you never see this face! These guys like the little grasshoppers common in these alpine meadows.









Young frog hiding on the bottom of a rocky stream.	Young frog hiding on the bottom of a rocky stream.
Mountain Yellow-legged Frog tadpole	Mountain Yellow-legged Frog in a small stream