Frogs

Frogs play a key role in many ecosystems, and the cycle of nature, they are both predators and prey.

By observing frog populations, we can get a good indication of the condition of the environment as frogs are sensitive to environmental change.

Australia has over 240 species of native amphibians, all frogs.

Bumpy Rocket Frog

The Bumpy Rocket Frog is a great little frog to look out for in the north of Australia, in Darwin backyards and particularly in northern Queensland. Another name for this frog is the Floodplain Frog because it comes out in great numbers after heavy rains. The Bumpy Rocket Frog has a very warty problem, which is how he got his name. It might look like a toad when you first glimpse it but have a closer look because unlike toads,…

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Burrowing Frogs

Burrowing frogs spend dry times lying in wait up to a metre deep under the soil. They can stay there for years until a good soaking of rain softens the ground enough for them to move to the surface to breed. If it has been wet, then it has been a good year for burrowing frogs. Heavy rains can cover vast areas of inland Australia with temporary lakes. This creates ideal breeding conditions for burrowing frogs. Around a third of…

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Common Eastern Froglets

If you live in eastern Australia, you may hear a tiny little frog chatting away, trying to attract a mate. Common Eastern Froglets are very small, only 1.8 to 3 cm long, and are the most common and widespread frog in south-eastern Australia. Common Eastern Froglets are frequent backyard visitors. They'll happily live in and around garden ponds, pools, and ditches of water in suburban and urban areas. They are just as common in…

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Desert Tree Frog

The Desert Tree Frog is a very unique species - you can see its internal organs through its skin. Their extremely translucent skin lends them their other name - the Naked Tree Frog. This interesting frog lives in every Australian state and territory except Victoria and Tasmania. It mainly lives west of the Great Dividing Range. They are fawn, grey or brown with a pinkish hue. They also have black or gold markings along their b…

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Eastern Banjo Frogs

All across eastern Australia, near large ponds or lakes, the distinctive calls of the Eastern Banjo Frog can be heard. Like nature's own bluegrass band, once the Banjo Frogs get going, you'd swear you were hearing musical instruments, rather than a pudgy 8 cm long amphibian looking for a mate. Instead of a croak, their call is a resounding 'bonk' It is usually repeated every few seconds, but sometimes a whole crowd will produc…

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Green and Gold Frog

If you ever spot the distinctive pointed snout, golden iris and olive-brown to bright emerald-green body of a beautiful Green and Gold Frog - consider yourself lucky. There aren't as many of them around as there were only a decade ago and they are listed as endangered in NSW. These frogs mainly live in the north of Tasmania, and in small remnant pockets in the south and east of the state. Green and Gold Frogs also live in sout…

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Green Tree Frog

After rain on a hot day, the Green Tree Frog will emerge. You may find them in your house, your water tank, your drainpipe, toilet, pool, or even mail box, in search of a cool moist spot. The rain brings Australian native frog species out in droves - and if you don't see a Green Tree Frog, you may hear them. Green Tree Frogs love to get into downpipes and tanks during the mating season in spring and summer. These locations act…

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Motorbike Frog

The Motorbike Frog gets its name from the sound it makes - like a motorbike changing gears, followed by some growls and croaks. As one of the most commonly seen frogs in south-western Australia, especially in Perth gardens, it's also one of the most entertaining. Click to watch a video of a Motorbike Frog calling at night. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K9zuJWib-dE) Motorbike Frogs are large, growing up to 10 cm, with long ba…

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Ornate Burrowing Frog

If you live in sandy areas in northern and eastern Australia, keep your eye out for a small, pudgy frog with brown colouring and markings. The Ornate Burrowing Frog, Platyplectrum ornatum, grows no larger than 50mm and is often mistaken for small Cane Toads. These frogs are generally active after heavy rain during spring and summer. Warm humid nights are a good time to find foraging adults. Ornate Burrowing Frogs feed on all t…

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Peron’s Tree Frog

Spring is breeding time for a common backyard tree frog. Despite their noisy night-time calls; these frogs are very handy visitors to your garden. Also called Emerald Spotted Tree Frog because of its green speckled back, this buddy has an impressive trick up its sleeve. The Peron's Tree Frog can change the colour of its entire body in a matter of seconds. Depending on temperature, time of day and humidity they can appear brown…

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Southern Brown Tree Frog

If you live in southern Australia, listen out for a croaky visitor in your garden or local park. Southern Brown Tree Frogs are common guests to suburban gardens, particularly in Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania. Look and listen out for these frogs calling from under logs, in low growing plants, amongst leaf litter, and near waterways. As this is a tree frog, it is a great climber and jumper. Unlike most frogs, the Southe…

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Spotted Grass Frog

The Spotted Grass Frog, also known as a Spotted Marsh Frog, has a distinctive tiny golden iris and a round, black pupil. This frog lives in a wide range of areas, including Tasmania, Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland, parts of South Australia and in Kununurra in Western Australia. It can live along the wet coast or even in the dry interior of Australia - it's a great survivor. Spotted Grass Frogs are extremely quick to mov…

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Spotted Tree Frog

What do they look like? The Spotted Tree Frog can be identified by their olive-green colour, mixed with darker patterns across their back. Their belly on the other hand is usually pale. The legs and groin of these frogs are orange and they have quite a bumpy skin. The Spotted Tree Frog start life as

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Striped Marsh Frog

Around November each year, you might hear the Striped Marsh Frog's distinctive call. During spring and summer, males either call from the water or hidden places, such as under leaf litter or rocks. The distinctive mating call is a single 'pop', 'toc' or 'whuck' repeated once every few seconds. You will find them along the eastern coast of Australia, from northern Queensland to Tasmania. Striped Marsh Frogs lay masses of eggs w…

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Water holding frogs

As heavy rains and floods turn parched, cracked earth to oozing mud, one of Australia's most incredible frogs is just waking up. Droplets of water dripping down into its chamber up to 1 m underground are telling the Water-holding Frog that it's time to swim, feed and breed. If you live in western New South Wales, southern Queensland, north-eastern South Australia, western Western Australia or one of the select spots in the Nor…

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Western Banjo Frog

When winter chills are gripping the land, Western Banjo Frogs are getting set to call all through the night in south-western Australia. If you're in Perth, listen for their Banjo -like calls coming from the backyard, especially if you've got a pond or are close to a wetland or waterway. Around your area, you may hear a single explosive 'bonk' ring out from a hidden spot in the dense undergrowth at edge of a stream, lake or oth…

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