northern red-legged frog

noun

: a large, long-legged frog (Rana aurora) native to western North America from British Columbia to northern California that is reddish-brown to greenish-gray with black spots and has red on the undersides of the arms, legs, and abdomen

The northern red-legged frog has been so elusive in recent years that state wildlife officials placed it on the state "Sensitive Species List."

—Mike Stahlberg, Seattle Times, 11 Apr. 1999

Word History

First Known Use

1956, in the meaning defined above

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