Oregon Spotted Frog

Rana pretiosa

Species Status: Endangered in Canada; Vulnerable globally (IUCN assessment)

Action Required: Conservation breeding, headstarting, reintroduction and population augmentation

Oregon Spotted Frog (Rana pretiosa)

The Oregon spotted frog’s scientific name “pretiosa” means “precious” in Latin — a fitting moniker considering that not many remain. With only a few hundred individuals left, the Oregon spotted frog is the most endangered frog in Canada.

Oregon spotted frogs are well designed for aquatic living and seldom stray far from water. With webbing on their feet that goes all the way to the tip of their toes, these amphibians are expert swimmers. Meanwhile, their upward-turned eyes allow them to see things above the surface while keeping their heads almost completely submerged. When disturbed, Oregon spotted frogs will dive to the bottom to hide for long periods of time, making them even trickier to find.

Habitat

Adult Oregon spotted frogs are warm-water marsh specialists that prefer floodplain wetlands, side channels and swamps with a year-round water supply. They prefer habitat with a large amount of open water, as well as wetland grasses, rushes and sedges.

Range

Now on the brink of disappearing from Canada, this frog is found only in British Columbia’s Lower Fraser Valley, where only a few hundred breeding individuals are believed to remain in a few small, widely scattered populations.

Threats

The biggest factor driving the decline of the Oregon spotted frog is likely habitat loss caused by development, agricultural land conversion, resource extraction and hydrological alterations. Other threats include invasive species and pollution. With just a handful of breeding populations left in Canada, this species could easily disappear without hands-on intervention.

Recovery

Recommended Recovery Actions

The federal and B.C. Recovery Strategies call for a number of measures, including maintaining conservation assurance populations to protect genetic diversity; breeding and releasing frogs to boost wild populations; restoring habitat; and refining headstarting and conservation breeding techniques.

What we are doing

What is the Fraser Valley Wetlands Programs?

Since 2010, WPC has been breeding and reintroducing thousands of Oregon spotted tadpoles and froglets back into wetlands in B.C.’s Fraser Valley. It takes years of careful observation, collaboration, ingenuity and sometimes a little luck to crack the code to breeding specific species. For several years, our progress was very limited. But our team persevered. Today, WPC has pioneered breeding techniques that are turning the tide for this species.

Purpose

We work to prevent the Oregon spotted frog from disappearing by building the wild populations in British Columbia, and studying the species to learn more about what is impacting these frogs.

Goals

2023

In 2023 we plan to have:

5000 tadpoles and young frogs released to the wild in the Fraser Valley of BC

Mid-Term

Long-Term

Find out how Wildlife Preservation Canada helps save Canada’s reptiles and amphibians, including Oregon spotted frogs, and how you can make a difference.

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Oregon Spotted Frog

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Oregon Spotted Frog

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Oregon Spotted Frog

Rana pretiosa