Reptile Facts

1. "The innocent frog is being appreciated as a sensitive indicator organism of subtle environmental change. It constitutes an early, environmental warning system of benefit to humanity" - Micheal J Tyler, Frog expert.
2. Australia has 220 of the worlds more than 2000 frogs and toads.
3. Australia has no native toads, though some small burrowing frogs are called 'toadlets'.
4. One-third of australia's frogs burrow to escape dry conditions.
5. Most frogs can lighten or darken their skin tone by clumping together or spacing out grains of pigment in their skin.
6. Camouflage devices used by frogs include skin colour, skin pattern and flaps of skin which disguise the outline.
7. Male frogs develop breeding pads or spikes on their hands. These are used to grasp females, then are shed when the skin is moulted.
8. A female frog will respond only to calls of males of her own species.
9. If a female frog is clasped by a male but she has already laid, she makes a special 'release' call.
10. The young of some frog species develop direct from egg to froglet inside the egg capsule, without going through a tadpole stage.
11. If the jelly which surrounds frog eggs is removed, they cannot be fertilised. It is thought to contain a vital hormone.
12. At least four species of tree frogs 'talk' with their limbs, behaviour known as foot flagging. This may be male versus male aggression.
13. The Northern Water frog of the Top End and the Gulf of Carpentaria can release a slimy mucus from its skin glands. This makes it difficult for a predator to grasp the frog. Unlike most other frogs the Northern Water Frog can feed underwater.
14. The call of the Roth's Tree Frog resembles maniacal laughter. This frog occurs in coastal wetland from Cooloola, Qld, to Broome, WA.
15. The Magnificent Tree Frog of the Kimberley, WA, was unknown to science until 1977. It lives in caves but has been found in public camping spots, where tiolets form cool hiding places.
16. The glands on the head of the Green Tree frog produces a drug which controls blood pressure in humans. This drug is now produced synthetically.
17. The Northern Snapping Frog emerges from its burrow after rain. It will eat any animal it can swallow, including other frogs.
18. Some marsh frogs have a large gland on the calf of each hind leg. These produce a creamy substance which predators find nasty tasting and may be poisonous.
19. About 25% of australian frog species lay their eggs out of water. The tadpole either mature in the egg capsule on land, or enter the water when well developed.
20. A turtle frog was seen to eat 474 termites in one meal.
21. Australias Borrowing frogs are still being discovered. In 1980 the were only 2 known species of the tiny burrowing frogs, or gungans. By 1993 there were 24.
22. The sandhill frog was the first Australian frog to be protected by law.
23. Newly hatched narrow mouthed frogs are so tiny that 20 of them would fit on a five cent coin.
24. Narrow-mouthed frogs live in moist tropical rainforest and their survival depends on the preservation of these habitats.
25. At present, at least 34 species of Australia's frogs should be considered 'endangered' or 'vunerable'. Little is known about many of these frogs and there is not enough known about another 30 species to decide wether they are endangered or not.
26. Frogs are extremely sensitive to changes in the environment.