The storms disrupted egg masses in streams and ponds in the Santa Monica mountains.
California red-legged frog (Rana draytonii) eggs that may have met their demise due to late winter storms in the Santa Monica mountains of Southern California were rescued and released at the tadpole stage July 15.
The storms disrupted egg masses in streams and ponds in the Santa Monica mountains. So biologists with the National Park Service collected about 600 eggs in March 2025 and brought them to the Aquarium of the Pacific. Biologists at the aquarium raised them to the tadpole stage, enhancing their chances of survival.
The collaboration between the NPS and the aquarium has been ongoing for 10 years in an effort to reestablish the species in Southern California. It is hoped that the federally threatened species can be self sustaining.
“We are so proud to be able to support the National Park Service in their work to help local populations of California red-legged frogs. Our partners dedicate so much time and expertise to supporting these local species, and it’s incredibly meaningful to be able to play a role in the important work that they do,” Erin Lundy, Aquarium of the Pacific manager of conservation initiatives said in a statement released by the aquarium.
The release sites will be further monitored this summer to track development of the tadpoles as they metamorph into froglets. They will also determine how successful the intervention is.
“This project has had its share of ups and downs over the years,” said Katy Delaney, ecologist with Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area. “But with committed partners like the aquarium, we’re writing another hopeful chapter in the comeback story of the California red-legged frog.”
California Red-legged Frog Information
The California red-legged frog was made famous by Mark Twain’s short story, “The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County.” Listed as threatened in 1996, Rana draytonii is the largest native frog in the Western United States. It grows from 1.5 to 5 inches in length and sports an olive or brown back and reddish legs and belly. In Northern California, the frog lives alongside the San Francisco garter snake (Thamnophis sirtalis tetrataenia), which feeds on the amphibian.
