A Guide to the Amphibians
and Reptiles of California
Rana sierrae - Sierra Nevada Yellow-legged Frog -
Breeding, Eggs, and Tadpoles
(formerly Rana muscosa - Mountain Yellow-legged Frog)
Click on a picture for a larger view
| Breeding Adults | ||
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Adults in amplexus and eggs, Alpine County |
Adults in amplexus, with a second male trying to steal the female, Alpine County |
Adults in amplexus, Alpine County |
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Adult male next to egg mass |
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| Eggs | ||
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| One egg mass, Alpine County | Adult male guarding egg site, Fresno County © Vance Vreedenburg | Several egg masses, Alpine County |
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| Eggs. Alpine County | Eggs. Alpine County | |
| Tadpoles | ||
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| Group of mature tadpoles in shallow water | Mature tadpole (2 or 3 years old) |
Mature tadpole |
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| Mature tadpole | Mature tadpole (right) and younger tadpole (left) |
Young tadpole (probably 1 year old) |
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Tadpoles, 2-3 years old, Fresno County © Vance Vreedenburg |
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Habitat |
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| Habitat in breeding season, 8,800 ft., Alpine County | Habitat in breeding season, 8,800 ft., Alpine County | Habitat in breeding season, 8,800 ft., Alpine County |
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| Close-up of breeding location, 8,800 ft., Alpine County | Breeding and egg-laying habitat, 8,800 ft., Alpine County | Habitat, breeding season, Fresno County © Vance Vreedenburg |
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| Adult male (bottom of picture) calling from quiet channel flowing into lake, 8,800 ft., Alpine County | Tadpole habitat, 8,800 ft., Alpine County | Tadpole habitat, 8,800 ft., Alpine County |
| Short Videos | ||
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| Several pairs of male and female frogs in amplexus are seen in this video with females. They are successfully fought off by the amplexing males, usually by a strong kick, but sometimes a long wrestling match ensues. Eggs can be seen in the background along with a view of the breeding area. | Several groups of male frogs are seen during the breeding season chasing and amplexing each other. You can hear release calls in the first few scenes. This behavior continued for hours, so it did not appear that they were mistaking each other for females they could breed with, but that it was some kind of territorial behavior between males. Or they could have been practicing their pouncing skills for when they encountered females in the future. (This is a long video which might take some time to download.) | Two males are seen during the breeding season chasing and amplexing each other until one leaves and the other begins calling. |
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| Large mature tadpoles swim at the shallow edge of a small lake in Alpine County. | ||
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