animals, environment

Frogs and Reptile Biodiversity in My Local Area

Forestwood

Meet Fred the Frog. He is a Green Tree Frog.

green tree frog australia on chair

Fred and a few of his friends and family have been renting out space in our backyard.

They are very welcome although the dogs are not happy they are our tenants at the Home by the Sea.

The frogs try to get the favourite spot on the edge of the potplant as this helps them catch the moths that frequent our lawn at night, as modelled here by Esmeralda.

australia green tree frog in garden pot

Australian Green Tree Frogs

These frogs have an ability to change the colour of their skin according to the surface they are sitting on. Sometimes bright green, othertimes brown.

Their skin also emits secretions should they be eaten by a predator. The secretions in the skin taste awful and make a predator, such as a dog vomit, and suffer depression for up to 60 minutes.

Schnauzer Dogs sitting at door
Credit: Facebook

Of course, the dogs had to test the theory. The new puppy couldn’t resist picking the frog up in its mouth. As well as the protective secretions, frogs have another defence. They scream, they wail. It is a sound that brings us running to rescue them. But we don’t touch them!

Safety with Frogs

Human TOUCH can burn a frog’s skin if we pick it up with dry hands.

WET YOUR HANDS WHEN HANDLING A FROG.

[And do not touch toads without gloves. They are toxic!]

The vomit has been cleaned up and the depression lasted for a hour. A textbook example of the frog’s skin secretions at work, protecting it from being eaten by predators.

Here is a list of the frogs found in our area. At present we have around 8 -10 in our yard. The recent rains have delighted them.

1.Limnodynastes peronii : Brown-striped Frog 6
2.Limnodynastes terraereginae : Northern Banjo Frog1
3.Litoria caerulea : Green Tree Frog4
4.Litoria fallax : Eastern Dwarf Tree Frog3
5.Litoria gracilenta : Dainty Green Tree Frog4
6.Platyplectrum ornatum : Ornate Burrowing Frog2
7.Pseudophryne major : Large Toadlet4
8.Rhinella marina : Cane Toad5
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Published by Forestwood

A philosophic Aussie writes here at StPA, one who will readily admit to loving Scandinavia. I'm interested in global politics and what drives us to be who we are. Scratch the surface and you'll find a practical Environmentalist with an egalitarian bent, trying to unleash a little creativity via the written word. Scandinavian culture, literature and traditions are close to my heart, even though I'm Australian. Travel and courteous discussions greatly broaden the mind, so I travel if I can and am always up for a vigorous, respectful discussion. I'm an avid reader, a writer and I enjoy photography and crafts, particularly traditional art forms. I hope you'll find 'Something to Ponder About,' in my WordPress Community.

35 thoughts on “Frogs and Reptile Biodiversity in My Local Area”

  2. The FROGs wail and scream? Can you make a video & recording of that? I just cannot imagine what a wailing frog sounds like. I’m not sure I’d like to have all those frogs in my back yard 😦

    When I lived in the tropics our house was in the hills in a fairly untamed area. After the rains there’d be frogs everywhere and they’d be flattened by cars. Yuck. I hated walking on the road. It still gives me the shivers to think about it!

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    1. Not nice to see flattened frogs, Sandy. They are in decline world wide, so are precious and an important indicator of environmental health.
      I actually searched for a video of our green frogs screaming but could only find people laughing while holding frogs in other countries. People who do not realise they were burning the frog’s skin by handling them with dry hands.

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  6. I’ve learned something new today and that’s a good thing. I have never touched a frog and no desire to do so but it I had to move one I use something more natural to push them in a safe direction. Screaming frogs would hurt my heart.

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  8. Pingback: Mirror Mirror on the Mountain – © blogfactory

    1. Thank you. One of the dogs is a Mischief maker, but oh so cute.
      I like having the frogs in the garden even if it means we have to watch the dogs closely when they are outside.

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  11. Oh no, so sorry for your dogs! We only have toads around here but bestia is not interested in them in the least. If we pass one, I showed it to him and he just continues without even a nose in its direction. Should one come into our yard, he would bark a little to scare it away but wouldn’t touch it. Maybe he had an early lesson…

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    1. It is for the best that Bestia is not interested in the toads. Easier for you to manage when out walking. The puppy has a very high prey drive but is learning not to be so good a hunter. Lucky the frogs are in hibernation for winter.

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    1. Biodiversity is important for a healthy ecosystem. Man is slowly coming to understand that you if you play around and damage or remove one sector of the ecosystem, it has effects on the rest. If any one part becomes unbalanced, chaos can arise.

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