Animal Life in the Yosemite
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THE AMPHIBIANS

CALIFORNIA RED-LEGGED FROG. Rana aurora draytonii Baird and Girard

Field characters.—See preceding species. Total length up to 4 inches. Ear region darker than rest of head; fold along upper lip often light colored; under surface of hind legs usually more or less red.

Occurrence.—Sparse resident at lower altitudes on west slope of Sierra Nevada. Recorded by us once (May 25, 1915) at Snelling; reported from Smith Creek, 6 miles east of Coulterville. Lives in damp situations near streams or ponds.

The Red-legged Frog, known locally as "French frog" because of its size and the edible quality of its flesh, was found to be uncommon in the Yosemite region. We recorded it definitely only once, although Mr. Donald D. McLean tells us that it occurs in small numbers along Smith Creek, cast of Coulterville. This species is more wary than the Yellow-legged Frog and often escapes observation by reason of this fact.



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Animal Life in the Yosemite
©1924, University of California Press
Museum of Vertebrate Zoology

grinnell/amphibians10.htm — 19-Jan-2006