Hundreds of California red-legged frog tadpoles were released into undisclosed streams in the Santa Monica Mountains by biologists as part of a process to expand the threatened species in Southern California, according to the National Park Service (NPS.)
In March, approximately 950 egg masses were transferred from the Simi Hills to mesh holding pens in the Santa Monica Mountains. The pens protected the eggs from predators as they began to hatch and grow and biologists paid twice weekly visits to feed and monitor the health of the young frogs.
“California red-legged frogs haven’t been seen in the Santa Monica Mountains since the early 1970s,” said Katy Delaney, wildlife ecologist for the National Park Service. “Hopefully these tadpoles can help reverse the population decline of native frog.”
The U.S. Geological Survey recently discovered amphibian populations are declining at an alarming rate. Frogs are considered an indicator species and can provide important information about habitat health through their skin, which is easily penetrable and absorbs contaminants.
After a visit to the site earlier this week, 850 tadpoles were also released once biologists determined they would be able to survive on their own. The tadpoles will continue to be closely monitored as they mature into frogs.
The project to release the tadpoles comprised of California State Parks, the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority, the Mountains Restoration Trust, the Santa Monica Bay Restoration Commission, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and U.S. Geological Survey’s Western Ecological Research Center.
