Is that a tail or are you happy to see me?

I had the good fortune to spend the past weekend camping in Newhalem. My son plucked this little fellow out of the Skagit River. He's a tailed frog, an amazing little creature that lives in rushing mountain streams. The tadpoles have suction cups to hold on to rocks. The tail is how I can tell it's a male. It's not really a tail but a reproductive structure. They fertilize internally, then the female lays the eggs.

Pacific tailed frog

Huckleberry Days has this post about finding Pacific tailed frog tadpoles in a creek west of Hope, British Columbia.

Zoo works to boost Oregon spotted frog

The Oregon Zoo is preparing to release 120 year-old Oregon Spotted Frogs to a wetland near Olympia, says this article in the Oregonian. The Oregon Zoo and Northwest Wildlife Trek in Eatonville, Wash. raised the frogs from eggs. Northwest Wildife Trek released its frogs in September, but the Oregon Zoo kept their frogs over winter, so they could grow more before facing the wild. Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Scientists estimate that the frog has disappeared from 70 percent of its former habitat.
Via Sightline Daily.
Photo from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.