Chiricahua Leopard Frog for Kids

The Chiricahua leopard frog inhabits wetlands in western New Mexico, southern and central Arizona and northern Mexico. The the U.S. Endangered Species Act lists this attractive amphibian as threatened. Predators such as the American bullfrog and crayfish hunt the Chiricahua leopard frog and this, together with habitat destruction, are causes for their decline. The fungal skin disease, chytidiomycosis, is another important reason for their threatened status. The Fish and Wildlife Service is working with multiple conservation organizations and other partners to return the Chiricahua leopard frog to a secure population status. Because of their threatened status, you are not allowed to keep the Chiricahua leopard frog as a pet.

  1. Description and Habitat

    • The Chiricahua leopard frog was originally found in large numbers throughout the White Mountains of eastern Arizona. This medium-sized frog is a green to brown color and exhibits multiple dark spots across its back. The Chiricahua leopard frog abdomen is pale yellow to white in color. This attractive frog is highly aquatic and inhabits rocky streams with deep pools and permanent springs. Adult Chiricahua leopard frogs eat fresh-water shrimp and insects, while their tadpoles eat tiny aquatic organisms and algae.

    Sonora Desert Conservation Plan

    • The Sonoran Desert Kids is a club for young people, sponsored by the Pima County Natural Resources Parks and Recreation. This club offers both online activities and real-life meetings for kids. Future policy makers are drawn from the ranks of today's youngsters. Kids are educated on habitat destruction and fragmentation, together with all other aspects relevant to conservation principles. The Chiricahua leopard frog is one of the sensitive species that members of the Sonoran Desert Kids learn about.

    Heritage Fund

    • The Heritage Fund directs money from various sources, including from the sale of lottery tickets, to the Arizona Game and Fish Department, and invest it in conservation programs, such as educating kids about wildlife and securing crucial wildlife habitats for threatened and endangered species. The Chiricahua leopard frog, which was once abundant throughout eastern Arizona's White Mountains, benefits from the funds the Heritage Fund generate. This fund is crucial to sustaining Arizona's vanishing wildlife and kids can encourage their parents and businesses to contribute toward the fund. By doing this, kids will be contributing in a very significant way to the survival of this threatened frog species.

    Endangered Species Card Game

    • Kids can learn about the threatened Chiricahua leopard frog by playing "The Sonoran Desert Endangered Species Card Game." This game teaches young people about the conservation status of many Sonoran Desert endangered species. The Chiricahua leopard frog is no longer found much in Pima County due to the destruction of habitat and it is important that kids realize the importance of protecting the remaining habitat and its frogs.

    Captive Breeding

    • Kids can not keep the threatened Chiricahua leopard frog as a pet, but a team of state and federal scientists have developed a recovery plan for this frog species and are propagating and reintroducing the Chiricahua leopard frog into suitable habitats. The aim of this program is to prevent the Chiricahua leopard frog from becoming endangered, particularly as biologists believe the original source population in the White Mountains has already disappeared.