Amphibians
Tarahumara Frog
Lithobates tarahumarae · also called Tarahumara frogs
In an isolated pool tucked within a southern Arizona canyon, a Tarahumara frog rests at the water’s edge, a species entirely absent from the United States for decades until a deliberate reintroduction effort using frogs from surviving Mexican populations brought it quietly back.
Overview
The Tarahumara frog, Lithobates tarahumarae, is a large, robust frog native to isolated desert canyon and mountain stream pools across parts of southern Arizona and northern and central Mexico. Its complete historical disappearance from the United States, subsequent successful reintroduction from Mexican source populations, and continued vulnerability to disease and habitat loss make it one of the more dramatic amphibian conservation stories in the American Southwest.
A species brought back from local extinction
Rather than a story of decline alone, the Tarahumara frog represents a genuine conservation success in progress, a species restored to part of its former range through the deliberate, careful work of moving individuals from populations that had survived elsewhere.
Status
Vulnerable, having been extirpated entirely from the United States by the 1980s before successful reintroduction from Mexican populations, with ongoing threats from chytrid fungus and water source loss.
Tarahumara Frog: common questions
Why did the Tarahumara frog disappear from the United States?
This species disappeared entirely from its historical range in the United States by the 1980s, a decline attributed to a combination of factors including habitat degradation, prolonged drought reducing the isolated desert pools it depends on, disease, and changes in water quality within its narrow canyon habitat.
How was the Tarahumara frog brought back to the United States?
Conservation programs reintroduced this species to parts of its former range in Arizona using individuals collected from surviving populations in Mexico, a deliberate restoration effort that has successfully re-established breeding populations at some historical sites, though ongoing management remains important to the species' continued presence.
Why is the Tarahumara frog vulnerable even after reintroduction?
Reintroduced and remaining populations continue to face threats including chytrid fungus, a disease that has driven amphibian declines worldwide, along with the ongoing risk of drought or contamination affecting the isolated, often spring-fed desert canyon pools this species depends on for survival.
What kind of habitat does the Tarahumara frog need?
This species relies specifically on isolated desert canyon and mountain stream pools, often spring-fed, across parts of southern Arizona and northern and central Mexico, a naturally scarce and scattered habitat type that leaves the species vulnerable to any disruption of these limited water sources.