Why is corroboree frog endangered

Adults reach a length of 2. The call is a short "squelch". The tadpoles are dark brown to black and begin to show the characteristic patterning at later stages as the legs develop. Habitat and ecology Summer breeding habitat is pools and seepages in sphagnum bogs, wet tussock grasslands and wet heath. Feed primarily on small black ants and other invertebrates.

Males move into the breeding sites in summer and call during January and February from covered depressions or mossy chambers at the edges of pools. Females visit calling males briefly, and lay 20 - 30 large eggs in a terrestrial nest. Males leave the eggs in late summer or early autumn to return to the over-wintering habitat. The embryos develop to an advanced stage within the egg and hatch following substantial autumn or winter rain.

Tadpoles overwinter in the pools, feed and grow slowly through spring as the water warms and metamorphose in early summer. Outside the breeding season adults move away from the bogs into the surrounding heath and snowgum woodland to overwinter under litter, logs and dense groundcover.

Because Corroboree Frogs typically breed in pools that are exposed to sunlight, shading by weeds such as blackberry is also likely to impact these species. Southern Corroboree Frog pool impacted by feral horses. Frog Fungus The rapid decline of the Corroboree Frogs over the past three decades is the result of a disease known as chytridiomycosis, which is caused by infection with the amphibian chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis.

Habitat Degradation and Drought While disease is the key factor causing the decline of Corroboree Frogs, other processes also contribute to the decline of these species or degradation of habitat. Weeds and Feral Animals Weeds and feral animals are also likely to significantly reduce the quality of breeding habitat for Corroboree Frogs. The Northern Corroboree Frog is also affected by damage to its breeding sites by feral animals, fire, drought, weeds and logging.

Climate change could also lead to the loss of breeding pools. Zoos Victoria is breeding Northern Corroboree Frogs to support wild populations. A large number of fertile eggs has already been released into the wild. Our monitoring program will help us better understand the differences between the two species of Corroboree Frog. Discover more about local conservation events and join the wild activists taking action for local wildlife. Skip to main content.