Amphibians
Sierra Nevada Yellow-Legged Frog
Rana sierrae · also called Sierra Nevada yellow-legged frogs
At a high-elevation Sierra Nevada lake now cleared of the trout that once devastated its tadpoles, a Sierra Nevada yellow-legged frog has finally begun to reappear, a slow recovery playing out at only a small fraction of the sites the species once called home.
Overview
The Sierra Nevada yellow-legged frog, Rana sierrae, is a federally endangered amphibian confined to alpine lakes and streams within the Sierra Nevada mountain range of California. Its catastrophic decline from introduced trout predation, compounded by chytrid fungus, makes it one of the more urgent amphibian conservation cases in the western United States.
A frog undone by someone else’s fishing trip
Decades of stocking high mountain lakes with trout for anglers quietly devastated a frog species those same lakes had supported for far longer, a decline now being partially reversed only where conservationists have deliberately removed the fish again.
Status
Endangered — disappeared from the vast majority of historical sites across the Sierra Nevada, with active trout-removal conservation efforts underway at some lakes.
Sierra Nevada Yellow-Legged Frog: common questions
Why has the Sierra Nevada yellow-legged frog declined so severely?
A Sierra Nevada yellow-legged frog has disappeared from the vast majority of its historical high-elevation lake habitat largely because trout introduced for recreational sport fishing prey heavily on the frog's eggs and tadpoles, a threat compounded by the spread of chytrid fungus, a disease that has devastated amphibian populations worldwide.
Are conservationists doing anything to help the Sierra Nevada yellow-legged frog recover?
Yes, active conservation efforts include removing introduced trout from some historically fishless alpine lakes to allow Sierra Nevada yellow-legged frog populations to recover in habitat where the fish had previously eliminated them entirely.
How is the Sierra Nevada yellow-legged frog related to the mountain yellow-legged frog?
The Sierra Nevada yellow-legged frog was formerly considered part of a single, more widespread mountain yellow-legged frog species before genetic and geographic studies led to its recognition as a separate species confined specifically to the Sierra Nevada.
Where does the Sierra Nevada yellow-legged frog live?
The Sierra Nevada yellow-legged frog is native to alpine lakes and streams within the Sierra Nevada mountain range of California, generally found at notably high elevations.