Plains leopard frog - Rana blairi

The plains leopard frog (Rana blairi)
Photo by Joe Stevens

The plains leopard frog historically inhabited wetlands in the vast prairie grasslands of North America, and still does inhabit prairie wetland remnants, but now has also adapted to areas of human disturbance, including areas used for agriculture and ranching.

If they don't move, they look remarkably like mud
Photo by Renée Rondeau

This species requires open water for breeding but adults can be found some distance away. Some known or hypothesized threats to this species include habitat loss, water pollution, water extraction, pesticides, predation by introduced game fish, competition with introduced fish and amphibians, and climate change resulting in increased aridity.

An example of plains leopard frog habitat in southeast Colorado
Photo by Renée Rondeau