Frogs Are Cool. They Jump

Foothill Yellow-legged Frog Rana boylii What kids This frog lives in streams can do to and rivers with off-channel habitat such as pools and help other areas of low water 1. Learn about frogs. velocity. In summer, they are likely to be hidden 2. Never keep a wild frog as a pet. under rocks, but wet days 3. Know that frogs are important to the food can find them wandering out of the water. Adult frogs are gray web. They eat lots of insects, including or brown with yellow underbellies and thighs. Their color helps mosquitoes.Tadpoles keep water clean by camouflage them, making them hard to see among the rocks. eating algae. Frogs are also an important Fun fact: The closest you may come to a yellow-legged food source for other animals: fish, snakes frog is its splash. They will sun on rocks but are quick to and birds. take a dive when sensing a predator. Lives: Western Oregon 4. Tell people that frogs are cool. They jump. They splash. They let us know spring has Northern Leopard Frog Lithobates pipiens arrived, and they live two lives. First, they live as tadpoles in water, then as adults The northern leopard frog is disappearing they can live on the land. from Oregon for reasons 5. Never release science projects into the wild. believed to be associated Get a free copy of Wildlife in the Classroom with disease, introduced or Laboratory on the Invasive Species section fish, and other forms of environmental stress. This striking-looking frog has a background color of green or of ODFW’s Web site. light brown scattered with large rounded brown spots 6. Learn more on the Save the Frogs Web site, bordered in yellow. www.savethefrogs.com Fun fact: They like to forage for food afoot—often far 7. Learn more about the Oregon Conservation from water in fields and prairies. Strategy, www.dfw.state.or.us Lives: Limited locations in eastern Oregon Invader Frog Photo credits: Coastal tailed frog, Brome McCreary; Great basin Twelve native species of frogs and Worldwide, frogs are in trouble and There is one non-native spadefoot, James Bettaso; Western toad, Kelly McAllister; Woodhousii toads live in Oregon. Many of them many are on the road to extinction. invasive frog that survives toad, ODFW; Northern Pacific Treefrog, Kelly McAllister; Northern red- and reproduces very legged frog, ODFW; Cascades frog, Kelly McAllister; Oregon spotted are classified as Oregon State Sensitive Habitat loss, pollution, pesticides, frog, Kelly McAllister; Columbia spotted frog, ODFW; Foothill yellow- successfully in Oregon— legged frog, ODFW; Northern leopard frog, USDA Forest Service; species and listed in the Oregon climate change, infectious diseases, the American bullfrog, American bullfrog, ODFW. Lithobates catesbeianus. Conservation Strategy as species in the pet trade and invasive animal Bullfrogs aggressively need of help—that means they have species are all causing problems compete for food and Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife small or declining populations. for frogs. living space with native frogs. They eat many types of native wildlife including other frogs, young pond turtles, and even 4034 Fairview Industrial Drive SE ducklings. Bullfrogs can lay almost 10 times more eggs than Salem, OR 97302 (503) 947-6000 the OREGON native frogs and can quickly out number them. [email protected] www.odfw.com CONSERVATION Action: Once taken from the wild, it’s illegal to release bullfrogs. If you see adults or tadpoles for sale in stores or on a web site in Oregon, please call your local ODFW office. STRATEGY Oregon’s Frogs and Toads Coastal Tailed Frog Gray or olive green, they have very large, golden Northern Fun fact: This frog’s scientific name is Rana cascadae— Ascaphus truei yellow eyes set on the sides of the head. They dig Pacific Treefrog Rana is Latin for frog and cascadae refers to the frog’s Coastal tailed frogs live burrows to hibernate for the winter and hide from Pseudacris regilla traditional homeland, the Cascade Mountains. in fast running streams extreme summer temperatures. The Northern Pacific Lives: East and West Cascades —often in fishless treefrog is the most headwater streams— Fun fact: They are named for the small black “spade”on common frog in Oregon. Oregon Spotted Frog and sometimes can be the first toe of each hind foot which allows them to dig In dry areas, it is found in Rana pretiosa found on damp banks into the ground for shelter. places high in moisture— Oregon spotted frogs or under rocks. They like Lives: Eastern Oregon marshes, meadows, like to keep their cold water and their coloring often matches the color of woodlands and brush. The treefrog is a fabulous example feet wet. They live in local rock. Populations may be declining due to some forest Western Toad of what the Oregon Conservation Strategy hopes to wetlands near ponds, management practices and other activities along streams Anaxyrus boreas accomplish for all our common native species—that is, lakes and slow streams. which alter habitat. This species is found from near sea The western toad is keep them common. They eat beetles, flies, level to high-mountain streams. well camouflaged in Fun fact: Pacific treefrogs are often heard on movie spiders and other insects. They are patient predators, earth tones to help remaining motionless, until they see something Fun fact: This frog doesn’t croak. In fact, it has no voice. soundtracks. You may hear them sing in the spring! it stay safe from Lives: Throughout Oregon that looks tasty. The frog then lunges and captures Lives: Coast Range, Klamath Mountains and West Cascades predators. A large toad the prey with a sticky tongue. Due to a long list of with bumpy skin, it Northern Red-legged environmental stressors, this species has disappeared Rocky Mountain lives mainly on land in Frog Rana aurora from its former range west of the Cascade Mountains Tailed Frog a range of habitats from mountain meadows to desert and much of its historic range east of the Cascade Red-legged frogs lay Ascaphus montanus flats. These toads are threatened by loss of wetlands, Mountains. It is classified as a Threatened Species by their eggs in wetlands Rocky Mountain tailed habitat degradation and other environmental changes. the federal government. beginning in late winter. frogs are found in the They spend a lot of time on water or close by it. They Fun fact: Western toads have skin secretions that taste Fun fact: This frog’s scientific name, pretiosa, means land in cool damp forests. are primarily nocturnal, and bad and help to deter other animals from eating them. precious in Latin. Adults have red underlegs, prefer to live in cold, fast- Lives: Throughout Oregon Lives: Eastern Oregon hence their name. Studies flowing streams in forests. indicate populations are shrinking, and some may be harmed In the summer, they hide under rocks in streams. Woodhouse’s Toad Columbia Spotted Frog by pollution and increases of UV sunlight. Anaxyrus woodhousii Rana luteiventris Fun fact: These frogs don’t have tongues or vocal sacs, The Woodhouse’s so they don’t call at all. Fun fact: It’s unlikely you’ll ever hear a red-legged frog Columbia spotted frogs toad appears in only Lives: Eastern Oregon call. They call underwater. love the water. They make a few areas along the Lives: East and West Cascade ecoregions their homes in or near Great Basin Columbia River and lakes, ponds, marshes and northern Malheur Spadefoot Spea Cascades Frog slow streams. They can be County, specifically intermontana Rana cascadae brown, tan or green and river valleys in are dotted with irregularly-shaped black spots. This species Great Basin spadefoot Cascades frogs have sagebrush or grassland areas. They are light grey to is being challenged by loss of its habitat and predation by toads live in bunchgrass gold eyes and long hind brown generally marked with contrasting spots. They non-native bullfrogs. prairie, sagebrush, legs. They live in moist or ponderosa pine have bumps on their skin which contain poison glands mountain meadows Fun fact: Columbia spotted frogs will wander short woodlands that may be dry for all but a few weeks a year to discourage predators. These toads catch insects by and damp bogs and distances. They will sometimes migrate seasonally and can sometimes stay completely dry for several years in a night; their call is a loud, long whistle. forests. Home is usually and use different water bodies for breeding, summer row. When seasonal pools do appear, they make fast use of Fun fact: This toad survives hot summer days by burying a shallow pond, marsh or small stream. Studies indicate feeding and overwintering. them to breed, lay eggs, and complete tadpole growth and itself in the ground with its powerful hind legs. populations are increasingly small. Many things can Lives: Eastern Oregon metamorphosis, often in less than six weeks. They forage for Lives: Limited locations in eastern Oregon affect this frog including disease, loss of habitat, air earthworms and insects at night. pollution and UV-B radiation..

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