It has genetic characteristics that are different from all other gopher frogs and is isolated from them by 125 miles of unoccupied habitat and the Mobile River delta. The Act allows the Service to list distinct population segments when they are threatened or endangered. The Mississippi gopher frog once existed in the longleaf pine forests of the lower coastal plain from east of the Mississippi River in Louisiana to the Mobile River delta in Alabama. It has not been seen in Louisiana since 1962 or in Alabama since 1922. Today, only 100 adult frogs remain, all located in one pond at the edge of DeSoto National Forest in Harrison County, Mississippi.
Biologists believe loss and degradation of habitat is the primary reason the species has declined.
We are eager to work in partnership with the State of Mississippi, the U.S. Forest Service, and private landowners to recover the gopher frog. The Mississippi gopher frog is a mid-sized stocky frog that reaches three inches in length. It ranges in color from black to brown to gray and is covered with dark spots and warts. The frog's habitat includes both longleaf pine forest and isolated, temporary breeding sites in forested landscapes. Adult frogs spend most of their lives underground in forests with an open canopy and abundant ground cover.