The eggs hatch anywhere from six to fourteen days between July and September into brown tadpoles that can reach around three inches long within four to seven months. They then grow legs, lose their tales, and change into a juvenile form of the adult frog with dark masks on their faces and bright orange folds on their backs. As they grow into adults, the froglets move from shallow water to knee-deep water to hide from larger predators. Males can probably reproduce after three years of age while females reproduce after four. Behavior The red-legged frog is a solitary, primarily diurnal species.
Breeding takes place over very few days.
The males appear at breeding sites two to four weeks before females. They give their mating call in small mobile groups between three and seven. California Red-legged frogs call in the air and have paired vocal sacs. They are found in water at least 70 centimeters deep while Northern Red-legged frogs call underwater at a depth of at least 92 centimeters. California Red-legged frogs are quite wary and nocturnal, and juveniles are more active during the day than adults.