The World Heritage Wet Tropics area is home to about 54 species of frogs.
Some of the frog types in north Queensland include tree frogs, burrowing frogs, water-holding frogs which encase themselves in a 'plastic bag' during the dry season - even frogs which do not have any aquatic tadpoles! Some frogs prefer the cooler climates of the highest mountain tops in the World Heritage Area while others can easily be found in humid lowland habitats such as wetlands, melaleuca (paperbark) swamps, flooded grasslands and cane fields and fast flowing, rocky creeks.
Frogs are a hot topic worldwide as many of them are in the process of becoming extinct. Fortunately, we have some species which are still relatively common and can be easily found in our suburbs or other spots close by.
A male frog uses a vocal sac to make sounds when he wants to advertise that he's ready to mate. These sounds enable the female to find him when she's ready.
White-lipped Tree frogs
Some of the most impressive frogs are the White-lipped Tree frogs which can reach over 130 mm (5 ½ inches) in length. (from the tip of the snout to the vent - the legs are not included.)
White-lipped Tree frogs are green with a pure white lower lip. When the males are ready to mate, the gold stripe on their thighs flushes red. The best places to see the White-Lipped Tree frog (Litoria infrafrenata) are paperbark (melaleuca) swamps and in leafy suburbs. They have a call which sounds like a dog barking.
Common Green Tree Frog
The Common Green Tree frog (Litoria caerulea) which is called White's Tree frog in the USA. Grows to a length around 90mm (3 ½ inches)
It is often found around houses, especially in outdoor toilets (bathrooms) and in gutter pipes.
The Short-footed Waterholding Frog
There are some frogs that prefer a drier habitat. Visitors to the Townsville area or the western reaches of the Atherton Tablelands might notice a very round frog with short feet that emerges from the ground only after heavy rains. This frog is called the Short-footed Waterholding frog (Cyclorana brevipes) and it has a yellow-beige background colour with broken brown stripes or blotches down its back. Waterholding frogs survive the dry months by encasing themselves in a 'plastic bag' made from their skin. They 'hibernate' in this bag until the heavy rains return. Once water reaches their bag (sending the signal that conditions above are good for breeding), they climb back to the surface, swallow the bag and breed quickly before the waters dry up again.
