Response of Mountain Yellow-Legged Frogs, Rana muscosa, to Short Distance Translocation

To determine the response of Mountain Yellow-Legged Frogs to short distance translocations, I placed transmitters on 20 adult frogs and moved them short distances from 144-630 m and monitored their responses for up to 30 days. Of the 20 translocated frogs, seven frogs returned to their original capture site, four frogs moved in the direction of their capture site but had not returned by the end of the study, and nine frogs did not return and were found at the translocation site. Apparently, displacing frogs was stressful, and translocated frogs lost body mass during the study period. Eighteen translocated frogs that were weighed at the beginning and end of the study lost body mass (mean loss was1.2 g) compared to a group of 18 randomly selected PIT tagged frogs also weighed during the same tracking period (mean gain in body mass 5 2.5 g) at our Kings Canyon study site. Translocation of adult Rana muscosa as a conservation tool may not be effective because some would simply attempt to return to their original capture site, and their homing may be stressful to an already declining frog population.