This March 20, 2017 photo from the National Park Service shows a California red-legged frog (Rana draytonii), found in the Santa Monica Mountains near Los Angeles. The discovery involving the rare frog has researchers hopping for joy. The NPS says egg masses from the frog were found last week in a stream in the mountains adjacent to the Los Angeles metropolitan area. It's evidence that the endangered species is reproducing. (National Park Service via AP)
The Associated Press
THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. (AP) - A discovery involving a rare California frog has researchers hopping for joy.
The National Park Service says egg masses from the California red-legged frog were found last week in a stream in the Santa Monica Mountains near Los Angeles.
It's evidence that the threatened species is reproducing.
The frogs haven't been seen in the mountains since the 1970s. The Park Service has been trying to rebuild the population by transplanting them from nearby Simi Hills.
The March 14 discovery of nine egg masses indicates that after four years of effort, the population is sustaining itself.
Red-legged frogs famously appear in the Mark Twain story, "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County."
The species once lived throughout California's coastal areas but habitat loss and invasive species have shrunk the population.
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This story has been corrected to show that the frog is threatened, not endangered
This March 14, 2017 photo provided by the National Park Service shows a pair of California red-legged frogs (Rana draytonii), found in the Santa Monica Mountains near Los Angeles. The discovery involving the rare frog has researchers hopping for joy. The NPS says egg masses from the frog were found last week in a stream in the mountains adjacent to the Los Angeles metropolitan area. It's evidence that the endangered species is reproducing. (National Park Service via AP)
The Associated Press
This March 17, 2017 photo provided by the National Park Service shows an egg mass from the California red-legged frog (Rana draytonii), found in a stream in the Santa Monica Mountains near Los Angeles. The discovery involving the rare frog has researchers hopping for joy. The NPS says the egg masses from the frog are evidence that the endangered species is reproducing. (National Park Service via AP)
The Associated Press