Oregon Spotted Frog

Rana pretiosa

The Oregon spotted frog now numbers less than 400 in British Columbia. It is no wonder its scientific name means ‘the precious frog’. This species once ranged from southwestern BC into California, but is now endangered and has disappeared all together from California. Its endangered status results from its inhabiting lands highly coveted by humans for use as farms, roads and housing developments. As much as 90% of its habitat is gone and its survival is continually threatened by introduced species. The frog’s future depends on the emergency breeding and habitat restoration projects that are now underway.

Characteristics

Until recently the Oregon spotted frog and the Columbia spotted frog were considered one species. Now, despite the close physical resemblance, they can be differentiated by the amount of mottling on their bellies, protein analysis differences and separate ecological niches; the Oregon Spotted Frog occupies southwestern BC and the Columbia Spotted Frog the interior of the province…

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