Red Legged Frog

The California Red-Legged Frog is the same frog Mark Twain wrote about in “The Jumping Frog of Calaveras County”. Between 2 and 5 inches long, this frog is defined by red legs and underbelly.
As a tadpole (also called polliwog) they eat algae, as a smaller frog they eat insects, and larger frogs eat insects but can also eat Pacific tree frogs and California mice.
Unfortunately, the frog is now a threatened species that disappeared from the park for 50 years. It was recently re-introduced with positive results, thanks to the diligent work of local scientists but it still needs support in order to rebound and thrive as it did before. One such effort was created out of a cooperative effort by the National Park Service, Yosemite Conservancy, San Francisco Zoo & Gardens, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, California Department of Fish & Wildlife and NatureBridge. You can read about the project here.