#49 Jumping with frogs

Summer in the Hunter Valley has been wetter than recent summers, and it was very encouraging to hear the delightful frog chorus every night, knowing that breeding was taking place in my immediate surroundings. I am not experienced in identifying the various calls all competing, so I have to rely on chance meetings to discover just what species are living around me.

And I have been thrilled to encounter several frog species which have previously escaped my attention. One of the most common sightings has been the cute little Peron's Tree Frog.

Notice the pale green flecks of the Peron's Tree Frog

Peron's Tree Frog - Litoria peronii

Peron's Tree Frogs have bright yellow with black mottling on the armpits, groin and back of thighs which is a key identifying feature if you are fortunate to glimpse this as it moves around. Its back is rough-textured, but varies in colour from almost white to a pale green-grey, through shades of light brown, to reddish brown.

It is recorded that the Peron's Tree Frog will change its colour depending on the light exposure, temperature, moisture and other factors. I have not been lucky enough to observe this.

All Peron's Tree Frogs I have seen have been flecked with pale irridescent-like green irregularly shaped spots over the back, although research indicates that this feature is not always present.

It is an excellent climber with large toe pads, and part webbing. I found the frog in the following photo, on my glass door on top of a spider's web which did not appear to lessen its grip. Notice the yellow with dark blotches on the inner and back thigh.

Peron's Tree Frog is an excellent climber

The Peron's Tree Frogs I have seen around my backyard have all been small slender frogs between 30 and 45mm long. Most reliable records indicate that they can grow up to 50 or 60mm in length, but I found a freshly killed 70mm plump frog in the Barrington Tops rainforest which I believe was a Peron's Tree Frog.

The call is a distinctive "chuckle" consisting of between fifteen and twenty rapid descending notes. There is a link to its call here.

I discovered two Peron's Tree Frogs, active and seemingly healthy, in a thick batch of liquid manure as I used the smelly home-made fertilizer concentrate yesterday. I was astonished to find the frogs in such an unlikely habitat, but I took advantage of the opportunity to photograph the usually hidden thigh colouration before I relocated them to a damp spot where they would not be disturbed.

Distinctive thigh colour of Peron's Tree Frog

Peron's Tree Frog is mainly a NSW species, but its range does extend marginally into adjoining states. Although often occuring in association with rivers and similar large bodies of water, this species breeds in the semi-permanent water bodies that form after rain, in summer. Throughout summer, there were puddles in the paddock adjoining my yard that would have suited their breeding.

Tadpoles are an irridescent green or golden-yellow with a high crested tail. Now that I am aware of this feature, I will search for the tadpoles next breeding season so that I can observe and photograph them.

Most specimens I have found, have been out on wet nights. During the day, they take shelter in protected spots.

A Peron's Tree Frog takes cover as I approach - Note: a reader has informed me that this is not a Peron's Tree Frog, but is Tyler's (or Laughing) Tree Frog - Litoria Tyleri

I observed the following scene in Barrington Tops National Park on the eastern rim of the Hunter Valley: I inadvertently disturbed a Stephen's Banded Snake, Hoplocephalus stephensi, after it had presumably killed a large Peron's Tree Frog. As I lay spread out on the rainforest floor photographing fungi, this scene was played out just metres from me.

The snake was small, and the frog was large. I would have been thrilled to see the snake consume this meal, but it slid into a hole at the base of the tree where the kill took place. However, I felt privileged to witness such an amazing sight in the battle to survive in the wild.

Stephen's Banded Snake with dead frog

There are still frogs about as the warm nights are replaced by a chill, so rug up the kids and take them frog spotting with a torch at night after rain. Discourage children from handling frogs as they have permeable skin which absorbs toxins - just enjoy their activity.