Clicks, Bonks and Dripping Taps: Listen to the Calls of 6 Frogs out and About This Summer 29 December 2020, by Jodi Rowley
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Clicks, bonks and dripping taps: listen to the calls of 6 frogs out and about this summer 29 December 2020, by Jodi Rowley This article contains recordings of six unique frog calls. Depending where you live, you might just hear one on a quiet, summer night. But first, let's explore why frogs are so important to our ecosystems. The banjo frog, Limnodynastes dumerilii. Credit: Jodi Rowley, Author provided Frog calls are iconic sounds of summer in Australia. There are more than 240 species native to Australia, almost all of which are found nowhere else on Earth. While some of Australia's frog species prefer the cooler months, spring and summer are the best The stonemason toadlet, Uperoleia lithomoda. Credit: times to see and hear the majority of them. This is Jodi Rowley, Author provided particularly true in tropical Australia, where most frog species only emerge from their hiding places in the wet season, filling summer nights with their choruses. From rainforests to deserts Most of us will hear frogs before we see them. In Frogs are exquisitely adapted to almost all kinds of all Australian frog species, male frogs call to attract habitats in Australia, from rainforests to deserts. In female frogs to mate with. Each species has a some of the wettest forests, some frogs such as the unique advertisement call, so you don't need to northern ornate nursery frog (Cophixalus ornatus) see a frog to identify it. have done away with the need for tadpoles, developing into tiny frogs in the egg. Males typically call from near water bodies, where they hope to breed, and call mostly at night, In the driest parts of Australia, where it doesn't rain preferring to shelter in the heat of the day. As a for months at a time, frog species such as the result, the best place to encounter frogs is near a eastern water-holding frog (Cyclorana water body such as a pond, creek or wetland, and platycephala) spend most of their lives the best time is after dark. underground. These frogs are protected from 1 / 4 dehydration by a "cocoon" of their own skin and skin While the haunting call of the moaning frog secretions. They only pop above the surface when (Heleioporus eyrei) fills autumn and winter nights it's wet enough for them to breed in the flood around Perth, the motorbike frog (Litoria moorei) waters. makes up a large part of Perth's summer soundtrack. While many species are common, more than 30 are threatened with extinction. On top of that, we've Common in backyards throughout the southwest of already lost at least four species—part of out naturalWestern Australia, this species is named after its heritage, gone forever. drawn-out call, resembling an old motorbike racing up the street, changing gears. The major frog threats are disease (particularly chytridiomycosis, caused by the amphibian chytrid This large tree frog, variably marbled with green fungus), habitat loss and modification, introduced and gold, often basks in the sun on reeds during species and climate change. the day. We should care that our frogs are disappearing, as 3. Striped marsh frog they are an important part of healthy ecosystems. Frogs are major consumers of invertebrates, and The striped marsh frog (Limnodynastes peronii) is are also eaten by a wide array of predators commonly heard but rarely seen throughout its including fish, birds and mammals. Tadpoles may range along eastern Australia from north also be the dominant grazers in aquatic systems, Queensland to Tasmania, and into the eastern helping keep streams from clogging up with algae. edge of South Australia. When frogs disappear, other animals follow, and ecosystems are forever altered. Its call is familiar to many, resembling a tennis ball being hit, or a dripping tap. This species loves When meeting your local frogs, be careful not to backyard ponds, and is found even in the most built- disturb them or their habitat, and clean your shoes up areas of cities, creating foamy nests for their if going to more than one area of frog habitat so eggs after a successful night of calling. you don't accidentally spread frog disease. One of the best ways to learn about your local frogs, and to Adults have smooth, striped brown skin, and long, help understand and conserve them, is by spidery toes. Males can be distinguished by recording their calls using the free FrogID app. females as they have much more robust arms. Here are some of the frog species you are likely to 4. Banjo frog hear, and maybe even see, this summer. Banjo frogs occur throughout much of Australia, 1. Peron's tree frog with a familiar loud "bonk" call, somewhat resembling the pluck of a banjo string reverberating Peron's tree frog (Litoria peronii) is a large frog from dams, wetlands and slow-flowing sections of species that can be found in southern Queensland, streams and rivers. New South Wales, Victoria and southeastern South Australia. During dry times, banjo frogs bury themselves underground, emerging after, or sometimes just With cream to dark grey skin flecked with tiny before, summer rains. They are large, rather solid, emerald spots, cross-shaped pupils, and a loud, frogs with a round snout, and are often mistaken for laugh-like call, this frog species is very commonly cane toads. encountered around our homes—often hiding in pot plants, watering cans or even our letterboxes. There are four species of banjo frog. In the southeast, the eastern banjo frog (Limnodynastes 2. Motorbike frog dumerilii) is very common, particularly in farm 2 / 4 dams. Meanwhile, the northern banjo frog Provided by The Conversation (Limnodynastes terraereginae) lives in northern NSW and throughout much of Queensland. The giant banjo frog (Limnodynastes interioris) can be found in inland NSW and Victoria, and the western banjo frog (Limnodynastes dorsalis) is found in southwestern Western Australia. 5. Stonemason toadlet The stonemason toadlet (Uperoleia lithomoda) is a tiny brownish-grey burrowing frog found across the top of Australia: in north Queensland, the Northern Territory and Western Australia. This species emerges from underground after heavy monsoonal rains, and males produces an extraordinarily loud call that sounds like a harsh "click". With bumpy skin, they resemble toads enough to be called "toadlets", and are often mistaken for young cane toads (Rhinella marina). 6. Eastern dwarf tree frog The eastern dwarf tree frog (Litoria fallax) is highly adaptable and usually found along the east coast, from north Queensland to the borders of NSW and Victoria. In recent years, it has also established populations in Victoria, well outside its native range, likely as a result of hitchhiking on produce or nursery plants. Like the motorbike frog, the eastern dwarf tree frog is often seen during the day, basking in the sun, and will even call during the day on vegetation far from water. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the 3 / 4 original article. APA citation: Clicks, bonks and dripping taps: listen to the calls of 6 frogs out and about this summer (2020, December 29) retrieved 13 January 2021 from https://phys.org/news/2020-12-clicks-bonks-frogs- summer.html This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only. 4 / 4 Powered by TCPDF (www.tcpdf.org).