{"id":2178573,"date":"2024-11-12T06:00:03","date_gmt":"2024-11-12T05:00:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/?p=2178573"},"modified":"2024-11-09T09:10:46","modified_gmt":"2024-11-09T08:10:46","slug":"from-local-pond-to-outback-dunny-australias-biggest-frog-count-is-here-and-researchers-need-your-help","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/from-local-pond-to-outback-dunny-australias-biggest-frog-count-is-here-and-researchers-need-your-help\/","title":{"rendered":"From local pond to outback dunny, Australia\u2019s biggest frog count is here \u2013 and researchers need your help"},"content":{"rendered":"

They moan, hum, whistle and click, and can be found almost everywhere, from the neighbourhood pond to the most remote outback dunny.<\/p>\n

From Friday to 17 November, people across the country are encouraged to take part in FrogID week, Australia\u2019s biggest frog count. The annual event, now in its seventh year, aims to collect thousands of recordings via an app, with the data providing a snapshot of how frogs are faring across the country.<\/p>\n

Australia has at least 250 frog species, according to Dr Jodi Rowley, Australian Museum amphibian specialist and lead scientist of FrogID. They range from giant banjo frogs \u2013 \u201chuge, round burrowing frogs that spend most of their life underground\u201d \u2013 to tiny javelin frogs, \u201cas big as your pinky nail\u201d.<\/p>\n

Each has its own unique call, so \u201cfrogs are, essentially, yelling out what species they are\u201d whether they are in a rainforest, an alpine area or the outback, Rowley said.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust the other day, we got a recording of a frog in a remote part of the NT and that was calling from a toilet bowl,\u201d she said. That red tree frog, captured using the FrogID app, was the only scientific record of a frog within 30km.<\/p>\n

For those joining in for the first time, Rowley suggests listening just after dark, near fresh water such as a creek, wetland or pond, and particularly after rain.<\/p>\n

\"A
A striped marsh frog, Limnodynastes peronii. Photograph: Jodi Rowley<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cI use the term fresh water loosely,\u201d she said. \u201cIf I want to find a frog in the outback, I\u2019ll often lift the lid off the cistern and it\u2019s rammed with frogs, which is fantastic. I\u2019ve had them in the bowl as well.\u201d<\/p>\n

Frogs can also be found in populated areas. \u201cFrogID has helped us realise that actually there are more frogs than we thought in cities and in urban environments,\u201d Rowley said.<\/p>\n

In Perth, moaning frogs \u2013 thought to be rare \u2013 can be heard in suburban back yards, calling mournfully from underground.<\/p>\n

In Sydney and Melbourne, the insect-like call of the common eastern froglet is often recorded, despite being \u201cnear impossible to find\u201d, according to Rowley.<\/p>\n

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A giant banjo frog, Limnodynastes interioris. Photograph: Jodi Rowley<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Meanwhile the striped marsh frog, which sounds \u201clike a tennis ball being hit\u201d, frequents ponds across Sydney and Brisbane.<\/p>\n

Vicky Mills didn\u2019t know much about frogs before joining FrogID week in 2021 but wound up being that year\u2019s \u201ctop frogger\u201d anyway.<\/p>\n

She was amazed to discover the variety and number of frogs near her west Brisbane home. To date she has recorded more than 1,170 \u201cverified frogs\u201d on the FrogID app, although her favourite is Ethel, an old green tree frog that appears outside her laundry every year.<\/p>\n

Initially, Mills set off at night with torches, a phone and a stick \u2013 \u201cto get the spider webs out of the way\u201d \u2013 and recorded plenty of crickets and insects. Using feedback from the app, she soon learned which noises were frogs.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was surprised how many there were in the bush,\u201d she said. \u201cHow when you looked for them, they were there.\u201d<\/p>\n

FrogID week was a special time to go out \u201ctraipsing in the bush\u201d at night-time, she said \u2013 listening to the sounds of nature and contributing to a nationwide citizen science project.<\/p>\n

Along with raising the profile of frogs, Rowley said the thousands of calls recorded during the week would help scientists better understand them, particularly as one in five Australian frog species were threatened.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne of the biggest challenges, when it comes to making sure we don\u2019t lose any more Australia\u2019s frogs, is that we just don\u2019t know that much about them.\u201d<\/p>\n

This article<\/a> by Petra Stock was first published by The Guardian on 7 November 2024. Lead Image: A moaning frog, Heleioporus eyrei. Photograph: Jodi Rowley.<\/i><\/p>\n

What you can do<\/h2>\n

Help to save wildlife by donating as little as $1 \u2013 It only takes a minute.<\/p>\n

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