B.C. Reptiles & Amphibians

Credit: Pourya Sardari

Oregon Spotted Frog

Rana pretiosa

Description

The Oregon Spotted Frog is an intermediate-sized frog reaching up to 10 cm in body length. As with most frogs, the males tend to be smaller than the females. They have dorsolateral folds, eyes that are angled upwards, a prominent tympanum, and a dark mask with a light stripe on the upper jaw. The toes of the Oregon Spotted Frog are completely webbed to accommodate its aquatic lifestyle. They are olive, light brown, or tan with ill-defined black spots and black-mottled sides. They may display red tubercles and red, salmon, or orange pigmentation on the belly.

Oregon Spotted Frog tadpoles have long tails with a large tail fin. Their bodies are tan, light brown, or green with gold and bronze flecking, with dark spots or flecking on the tail fin and a white-cream belly. Tadpoles can reach up to 10 cm in length before metamorphosis.

Listen to the Indigenous words for “frog” here!

Oregon Spotted Frog Call

The call of the Oregon Spotted Frog is a series of short grunts or clucks that build in intensity, lasting up to 10 seconds. It may resemble a woodpecker drumming in the distance. It is not known if the call of the Columbia Spotted Frog differs substantially from the Oregon Spotted Frog.

The Oregon Spotted Frog does not have an amplifying vocal sac, so their calls are quieter than other frog species.

Great Basin Spadefoot Call

The call of the Oregon Spotted Frog is a series of short grunts or clucks that build in intensity, lasting up to 10 seconds. It may resemble a woodpecker drumming in the distance. It is not known if the call of the Columbia Spotted Frog differs substantially from the Oregon Spotted Frog.

The Oregon Spotted Frog does not have an amplifying vocal sac, so their calls are quieter than other frog species.

Similar Species

There are two species of Spotted Frog in British Columbia: the Columbia Spotted Frog and the Oregon Spotted Frog. The Columbia Spotted Frog has a larger head than the Oregon Spotted Frog, and in Canada, Columbia Spotted Frogs do not have mottling at the throat; although some populations in the United States do. The distributions of the Columbia Spotted Frog and the Oregon Spotted Frog do not overlap in British Columbia, so the best way to distinguish these two similar species is by location.


The Oregon Spotted Frog also resembles the Northern Red-legged Frog; however, the latter has incomplete webbing on the toes and does not have upturned eyes. Red-legged Frogs are always yellow on the belly with red on the underside of the hind legs. The Oregon Spotted Frog also may resemble the Northern Leopard Frog, but the Leopard Frog has much more distinct spots surrounded by light rings. The other true frogs in its range do not have spots.

Oregon Spotted Frog

Columbia Spotted Frog

Northern Red-legged Frog

Northern Leopard Frog

Distribution

The Oregon Spotted Frog is one of the rarest amphibians in British Columbia. It is restricted to the Fraser Valley in British Columbia with only four known populations. In the United States they maintain a very patchy distribution and are found in Washington and parts of Oregon and Northern California. It has been extirpated from up to 90% of its historical range in some places.

Habitat

The Oregon Spotted Frog prefers shallow, warm marshes associated with permanent water bodies in forested areas. The ideal aquatic habitat is under 30 cm deep, with a variety of vegetation and complex underwater vegetation structure. These types of habitats have decreased markedly in the past century due to human encroachment. Oregon Spotted Frogs have been observed hibernating in beaver dams, culverts, shrub roots, woody debris, seeps, springs, and silt.

Reproduction

Breeding occurs in the early spring as soon as the ice retreats. Males arrive first and display a high fidelity to breeding sites, forming aggregations in ponds. Most breeding occurs over a 2–3-week period. Males call to attract females, and fertilization occurs externally via amplexus in aquatic habitats. The female may lay up to 1,500 eggs in a large gelatinous mass that does not get attached to vegetation and simply floats on the surface of the water. Females will often lay their eggs near, or on top of, other egg masses. Sometimes, the upper portion of the egg mass will stick out above the water leading to high mortality from desiccation or freezing although eggs can survive freezing air temperatures and ice cover for up to several days. Hatching occurs after 2-4 weeks and tadpoles metamorphose 3-4 months after hatching. In colder climates, tadpoles may hibernate over winter before transforming. Males reach sexual maturity at 2-4 years, while females are not sexually mature until 4-6 years. The Oregon Spotted Frog can live for over 10 years.

Diet

Oregon Spotted Frogs forage aquatically and terrestrially as sit-and-wait ambush predators for a variety of invertebrates including spiders, insects, sow bugs, crustaceans, and mollusks. Tadpoles feed on algae, organic debris, and microscopic organisms in the water.

Conservation Status

Global: G2 (2013)

COSEWIC: E (2011)

SARA:1-E (2003)

Provincial: S1 (2016)

BC List: Red

Learn more about conservation status rankings here

Threats

Oregon Spotted Frogs are extremely rare in British Columbia, and they have likely been extirpated from much of their historical range. Oregon Spotted Frogs are much more aquatic than other species and rarely move between ponds, except through waterways, making them highly susceptible to habitat fragmentation. A large swatch of Oregon Spotted Frog habitat was lost when the Sumas Lake area was diked and drained in the early 1900s. Exotic species may also influence Oregon Spotted Frog viability such as American Bullfrogs and Reed Canary Grass (Phalaris arundinacea), which overgrows shallow, warm waters that Oregon Spotted Frogs prefer for breeding and foraging. Reed Canary Grass is found at every site in British Columbia known to contain Oregon Spotted Frogs. The communal egg-laying habit of Oregon Spotted Frogs has also contributed to their decline. Several females (up to 100 in some cases) will lay their eggs in the same spot, often on top of each other. If water depth, temperature, or chemistry change drastically in that area, some (or all) of the egg masses can be lost. Road mortality does not appear to be an issue for this species, as they rarely move into terrestrial habitats. Pollution from pesticides and herbicides, road salt, and sediment from forestry can cause mortality and developmental defects. They may also be susceptible to pathogens such as Chytrid fungus and Ranavirus. Climate change is a threat to all frog species as it may increase the frequency and severity of drought and flood events.

Did You Know?

Fact #1

Newly metamorphosed Oregon Spotted Frogs have a very high mortality rate. In some places, likely only 1% of each annual cohort will survive their first winter.

Fact #2

The Latin name “pretiosa” for this species translates to “precious”.

Fact #3

The Oregon Spotted Frog is the only organism that has received an “emergency listing” as an endangered species in Canada.

Species Account Author: Marcus Atkins

References
B.C. Conservation Data Centre. 2021. BC Species and Ecosystems Explorer. B.C. Minist. of Environ. Victoria, B.C.
Available:https://a100.gov.bc.ca/pub/eswp/ (accessed May 21, 2021).
B.C. Conservation Data Centre. 2011. Species Summary: Rana pretiosa. B.C. Minist. of Environment.
Available:https://a100.gov.bc.ca/pub/eswp/ (accessed May 21, 2021).
COSEWIC. 2011c. COSEWIC assessment and status report on the Oregon Spotted Frog Rana pretiosa in Canada. Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada. Ottawa. xi + 47 pp.
Environment Canada. 2015g. Recovery Strategy for the Oregon Spotted Frog (Rana pretiosa) in Canada. Species at Risk Act Recovery Strategy Series. Environment Canada, Ottawa. 23 pp. + Annex.
Matsuda, Brent, David M. Green, and Patrick T. Gregory. 2006. Amphibians and Reptiles of British Columbia. Handbook. Royal BC Museum, Victoria.
https://linnet.geog.ubc.ca/efauna/Atlas/Atlas.aspx?sciname=Rana%20pretiosa&ilifeform=1
https://www.naturewatch.ca/frogwatch/oregon-spotted-frog/#:~:text=Description%3A%20The%20Spotted%20Frog%20is,the%20eyes%20are%20slightly%20upturned.
http://www.canadianherpetology.ca/species/species_page.html?cname=Oregon%20Spotted%20Frog
http://a100.gov.bc.ca/pub/eirs/finishDownloadDocument.do?subdocumentId=1025