ALCOA FROG WATCH

A Programme of the Western Australian Museum supported by Alcoa World Alumina

Southwest Frog Finder

Kimberley Frogs

Arid Zone Frogs

Southwest Frogs

The southwest corner of Australia is a truly magical place for frogs. The region is surrounded by arid land and has long hot cloudless summers. Yet the southwest receives abundant rainfall throughout winter from cold Antarctic air pushed eastward by fronts generated from the Indian Ocean. Most frog species' breeding cycles are tied to this winter rain.

The southwest is a mosaic of ancient landforms - sand, laterite, granite, old growth forests and ancient swamps. Ground frogs of the Family Myobatrachidae have radiated among these habitats and show a wide diversity of adaptations to their environments. Although there are 27 species of ground frogs, there are only 3 species of tree frogs (Family Hylidae).

For information on the kinds of frog species in different regions of the southwest go to the Southwest Frog Finder.

Conservation issues in the southwest

Southwest frogs are of significant conservation concern as many species are quite distinct from other regions of Australia, and the general notion that frogs are good 'bioindicators' of a healthy environment. The killer frog fungus has been in the southwest since at least 1985, yet we are lucky that no species from the region has gone extinct. Find out more about the fungus on the frog fungus page.

Species that occur in only small and specialized areas are of special conservation concern because the species relies on a handful of subpopulations. The southwest has three species with very small areas of occurrence. Find out more about the plight of these species on the short range endemics page.



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