A Croak of Hope
For the first time in over half a century, the California red-legged frog — once declared gone from Malibu and the surrounding Santa Monica Mountains — is back. Nearly 600 tadpoles, raised with care by biologists at Long Beach’s Aquarium of the Pacific, were released into streams in the Santa Monica Mountains this summer. The effort marks a major milestone in restoring a native species that had vanished locally since the 1970s.
The return didn’t happen by accident. These tadpoles were “rescued” earlier this year when extreme winter storms and the aftermath of wildfires destroyed fragile egg masses in local streams. National Park Service (NPS) scientists rushed in to save the eggs, handing them over to aquarium experts who nurtured them through the vulnerable early stages of life. By June, hundreds of strong, wriggling tadpoles were ready for release — a hopeful leap toward recovery.
Why This Frog Matters to Malibu
The California red-legged frog (Rana draytonii) isn’t just another amphibian. It’s the largest native frog in the western United States, stretching up to five inches long, with distinct crimson coloring on its hind legs. Its place in the ecosystem is critical: as tadpoles they graze on algae, keeping streams clear, while as adults they serve as both predator (eating insects) and prey (feeding birds, snakes, and mammals).
Without them, Malibu’s streams lose balance. And balance is something these waters need more than ever, especially as climate change, wildfire, and development reshape the mountains. Their reintroduction is more than symbolic — it’s a step toward restoring a piece of Malibu’s natural identity.
From Abundance to Absence
If you had been hiking through Malibu in the early 20th century, chances are you would’ve heard these frogs regularly. Museum records show they were once common throughout the Santa Monica Mountains and even in streams across the Los Angeles Basin. But by the 1970s, they were gone.
What happened? A combination of habitat destruction, prolonged drought, wildfire damage, and the arrival of the invasive American bullfrog devastated native populations. Bullfrogs — introduced in California during the Gold Rush and later farmed for food — outcompeted the red-legged frog for resources and introduced disease. By the time researchers started formally surveying in the 1980s, not a single red-legged frog could be found in Malibu.
The Comeback Effort
The campaign to bring the frogs back began in 2014. Biologists started relocating egg masses from healthier populations in other parts of California into the Santa Monica Mountains, carefully selecting release sites that offered cool, shaded streams. For a while, progress was slow. Wildfires, storms, and inconsistent breeding threatened to wipe out the gains.
This year’s rescue effort — saving eggs from washed-out pools and raising them safely in tanks — shows how adaptive conservation work has become. It’s a reminder that recovery doesn’t always follow a neat plan; sometimes it’s about improvising when nature throws curveballs.
And Malibu isn’t alone in this mission. Cross-border conservationists have even teamed up with scientists in Baja California, Mexico, where small but resilient populations of red-legged frogs survived. Eggs from Baja have been used to strengthen Southern California populations, creating a genetic lifeline for the species.
AI Joins the Fight
Here’s where the story gets surprisingly modern: artificial intelligence is now part of frog conservation. In Southern California, biologists are using AI-powered audio recorders to detect frog calls — a sound often compared to rubbing your thumb on a balloon. These devices can analyze hours of nighttime noise, cutting through background sounds of owls, coyotes, and even nearby traffic, to confirm whether red-legged frogs are breeding.
This technology allows scientists to track progress in real time and intervene quickly if predators like bullfrogs show up. In some ponds, the recordings have already confirmed what researchers were hoping for: not only are frogs surviving, they’re calling, breeding, and laying eggs again.
A Symbol of Resilience
The story of Malibu’s red-legged frog is one of disappearance, rediscovery, and resilience. A creature thought to be gone from the mountains for good has returned, thanks to decades of effort, international cooperation, and a touch of cutting-edge technology.
The next time you’re out hiking near a quiet stream in the Santa Monica Mountains, pause for a moment. If you’re lucky, you might hear it: a low, grunting croak echoing across the water. That sound is more than a frog call — it’s Malibu’s ecosystem beginning to heal.
Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4