Amphibians in the desert? Yes, there are four species that have been seen here at Craters of the Moon. Each of these is uniquely adapted to the harsh environment of the sagebrush desert. The Pacific tree frog and the boreal chorus frog both have a very short tadpole period. Tree frogs can hatch and develop into adult frogs capable of leaving the water in as little as 3 weeks. This is the shortest breeding time of any frog. Chorus frogs need another week. This short period of time allows both species to breed in snowmelt puddles and then migrate to more substantial bodies of water or even hibernate for the rest of the year. Tree frogs have been observed taking advantage of snowmelt on kipukas (islands of vegetation in the lava flows) nearly 2 miles from permanent water.
four species|Pacific tree frog|boreal chorus frog Pacific tree frog|boreal chorus frog|Tree frogs|Chorus frogs Pacific tree frog|boreal chorus frog
four species|Pacific tree frog|boreal chorus frog Pacific tree frog|boreal chorus frog|Tree frogs|Chorus frogs Pacific tree frog|boreal chorus frog