Baw Baw Frog ()

The Baw Baw Frog

This small Australian frog has been added to the endangered species list because of its population decline in the past years.  In 1983 it was believed that there was between 10000 to 15000 Baw Baw frogs but now as little as 250 are thought to be left.  They can be found in eastern Victoria's Baw Baw  Plateau (120 kilometers/74.5 miles east of Melbourne) and Eucalyptus forests around that area.  The adult frogs are very dark and have a lighter pigmented belly.  The main characteristic of these frogs is the enlarged parotid glands behind the eyes.  Their skin is covered in small warts which give them a prickly appearance.  The female tends to be bigger than the male with a length of 51 millimeters, (2 inches) compared to 44 millimeters, (1.7 inches), but the males have longer legs and wider heads.

Breeding season is between the months of October and December.  Male frogs can be heard calling throughout that time.  Eggs are lay in holes in the ground where water can accumulate.  Holes as deep as 1 meter, (3 feet), have been seen being used as breeding grounds.  When the eggs are laid, the female mixes them with foam bubbles that she creates by beating water with her eggs and mucous.  The white eggs are 4 millimeters, (0.16 inches), in diameter and are usually in groups of 50 to 185.  After 5 to 8 weeks the eggs hatch and small white tadpoles are born.  This stage lasts about 5 to 10 weeks and is spent without eating.  The tadpoles are actually born with a yolk sac that will sustain them until they change into a juvenile frog. 

The Baw Baw frog's diet is still unknown and we don't know whether they hibernate during the winter season though it is likely that they do.

Further Information on the Baw Baw Frog:

Bibliography:

Http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baw_Baw_frog
http://frogs.org.au/frogs/species/Philoria/frosti/
http://www.deh.gov.au/biodiversity/threatened/publications/recovery/baw-baw-frog/introduction.html#11
http://www.answers.com/topic/baw-baw-frog