Bell Frog

Bell frog image by DansloeildeMaggi

Frogs are amazing champions of the ecosystem, devouring countless insects such as cockroaches, mosquitoes, houseflies, and spiders! They are vital in keeping the ecological balance in check. Every part of an ecosystem, whether it's a keystone, pioneer, or endemic species, is absolutely essential to the health and harmony of the whole system!

The amazing Bell frogs are truly impressive with their distinctive markings and sizable presence! Adult males can reach between 5 to 7cm in length, while the females are even larger, measuring 6 to 10cm. It's impossible to miss these fascinating creatures when you're exploring their natural habitat!

Get excited about the 3 incredible species of Bell frogs that thrive in vibrant emergent vegetation! You'll find them at the edges of both semi-permanent and permanent waterways, as well as in ponds, dams, lakes, swamps, wetlands, drains, and slow-moving streams. Plus, these delightful frogs even make their homes in frog ponds joyfully crafted by humans!

Frog habitats

Frogs are fascinating creatures that love to have a cozy daytime resting spot like reeds or grassy banks. But when night falls, they spring to life, hopping around those grassy banks or gracefully floating on water. On warm, balmy nights, especially after a refreshing rain, the air comes alive with the enchanting calls of Bell frogs! As autumn and winter roll in, these amazing amphibians seek out refuge under rocks, fallen logs, or other debris and dense vegetation. So, it's absolutely essential to provide plenty of logs, rocks, and lush vegetation for their shelter!

So, lets have a look at what they love to chow down on:

• Water snails

• Small fish

• Tadpoles

• other frogs this also includes other species and members of the same species

• A host of insects such as beetles, beetle larvae, grasshoppers and flies

When it comes to breeding cycles all 3 species are very similar within New South Wales. The season for breeding is generally from Septemberr to February, when they lay their eggs in ponds or pools during spring and summer. The eggs are laid in a clear gel, which is different to other species of frogs that tend to lay their eggs in a white foamy mass.

Let's take a closer look at the tadpoles and juvenille frogs, as they can be identified by the following important traits:

• Yellow-spotted bell frog tadpoles, can be large growing up to 8cm long and have a pinkish-grey body and very distinctive fins when looking closer at them,

• The Southern bell frog - the newly hatched tadpoles tend to be more greyish-black or a dark brown, but change to a green or golden colour in the latter stages of their development. Tadpoles can grow to approximately 10cm long and can take anywhere from 2 months to 1.5years for them to fully develop.

• Where as the green and golden bell frog tadpoles will grow quite rapidly and become big, around 4cm long this includes their tail. But when fully grown, the tadpoles will form the same cream stripe along their sides which is the same as the adults and will have a green tinge on their back. The juvenilles take 12 weeks to develop once the eggs are laid.

Unfortunately their has been a decline in the numbers of bell frogs in New South Wales, for in some of their original habitats they are no longer found. Habitat loss has a huge impact not only on these beautiful frogs but on so many species of both flora and fauna.

There are a number of main threats for these and other frogs such as:

• Loss or modification of the natural swamps and wetlands

• Predation of eggs or tadpoles by introduced fish

• Disease this includes the chytrid fungus

• Herbicides and/or pesticides

• Climate change - increased ultraviolet radiation

• Predation of domestic animals such as cats, or introduces species - foxes

There is so much we can do for ourselves as we are also part of these ecosystems. By keeping existing remnant vegetation, revegeting, adding frog ponds, creating wildlife corridors, habitat gardens, value biodiverity and reduce the urban heat sink created by mass clearing of our native vegetation to make way for a start treeless area to build on.

Instead we can share the remnant and vegetated areas, designing our infrastructure to include our beautiful rainforests, schlerophyll forest, bushland, wetlands, and coastline. We are all of what nature is, and. nature loves to mirror that back to us.