Northern red-legged frog
| Northern red-legged frog | |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Amphibia |
| Order: | Anura |
| Family: | Ranidae |
| Genus: | Rana |
| Species: | R. aurora |
| Binomial name | |
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Rana aurora Baird and Girard, 1852 |
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The northern red-legged frog (Rana aurora) is a species of amphibian, whose range is the coastal region stretching from southwest British Columbia to southern Mendocino County in Northern California, and is protected in Oregon and California. As a member of the genus Rana, this species is considered a true frog, with characteristic smooth skin and a narrow waist. This frog requires still waters for breeding, and is rarely found at any great distance from its breeding ponds or marshes.
Northern red-legged frog adults may attain a length of 8 cm (3.1 in); they have dark facial masks and single characteristic light stripes along their jawlines. The northern red-legged frog has long, powerful legs well adapted to jumping. It is one of two amphibian species classified as red-legged frog, the other species being the California red-legged frog (Rana draytonii); however, the latter species is found from southern Mendocino County southerly to Baja California. In some systems of taxonomy, this species is classified as Rana aurora aurora.
The northern red-legged frog is found in western Oregon, western Washington and southwestern British Columbia, including Vancouver Island. In California, its range includes every coastal county from southern Mendocino County northward. While it occurs primarily in the Northern California coastal mountain ranges, it is not found above an elevation of 1200 m. It also occurs somewhat less commonly in the southern Cascade Range.
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Wikipedia