About 20 of some 216 Australian frog species occur locally. Although there are more than 4700 species world wide, most Australian frogs occur nowhere else in the world.

Frogs are amphibians. This name is from ancient Greek and literally means double life. This is exactly what many frogs have – water life as tadpoles and then a land life as frogs.

Apart from salamanders (which don’t occur in Australia) this is unique among animals.

Did you know that:

>> You can tell the frog species by its call. Only the male frogs call to attract the females during breeding season.

>> Frogs don’t drink water but absorb it through their skin.

>> There is only one introduced species of frog in Australia – the Cane Toad, Bufo marinus.

>> There are seven frog species locally that are listed as threatened, including some of national significance.

The range of different frog species occurring in the Newcastle-Lake Macquarie area is the result of the range of different habitats, from coastal plains and wetlands to mountains.

Maintaining this diversity depends on the health of the landscapes and connections between them.

Some species, such as the listed threatened species Wallum Froglet (Crinia tinnula), are hardly ever seen or heard because they occur in only a few, specialised habitats.

Peron’s Tree Frog (Litoria peronii) is the flagship species for wetlands in Lake Macquarie.

The most common frog species live in all types of habitat where there are ponds with trees around, even in our suburbs.

Three frogs found throughout the area are: Common Eastern Froglet (Crinia signifera), Striped Marsh Frog (Limnodynastes peronii) and Eastern Dwarf Tree Frog (Litoria fallax).

Keeping frogs in the natural environment requires vegetation cover to be retained, including soil and leaf litter.

Although water is required for frogs to breed, many species are well adapted to survive dry conditions.

If you find frogs in the wild, including in your garden, it is best to leave them alone.

Want to know more?

>> For local information on frogs contact the Society of Frogs and Reptiles (SOFAR) http://users.hunterlink.net.au/~s ofar/. A frog rescue service is available for displaced frogs.

>> Check out the Frogs Australia Network website (http://frogsaustralia.net.au) for information, photos and calls of nearly all Australian species.