Painted burrowing frog facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Painted burrowing frog |
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| Range of the Painted Burrowing Frog |
The painted burrowing frog (Neobatrachus pictus) is a special kind of frog that lives underground! You can find them in parts of western Victoria, eastern South Australia, and southern New South Wales in Australia. They also live on Kangaroo Island.
Contents
What Does It Look Like?
The painted burrowing frog is a medium-sized, plump frog. It can grow up to about 5.5 centimeters long. Its skin can be grey or yellow, with patches of brown, olive, or green. Sometimes, it has a thin, lighter stripe running down its back. Its belly is white.
This frog has special feet for digging! Its back toes are partly webbed, and it has black, shovel-like bumps on its heels. These bumps help it burrow into the ground. Its eyes have a silver or gold color, and its pupil (the black part) looks like a thin line when it's small.
Life and Habits
Where Do Painted Burrowing Frogs Live?
Painted burrowing frogs like to live near water. You can find them in waterholes, dams, or pools in forests, grasslands, and even cleared areas.
How Do They Behave?
Male frogs make a long, trilling sound while floating in water. They usually do this after heavy rains, especially in winter and autumn. Like other Neobatrachus frogs, this species is great at burrowing. They often spend time underground to avoid dry conditions, like a long summer drought.
Life Cycle and Reproduction
Female frogs lay their eggs in loose clumps. These clumps might break apart in the water. The tadpoles are quite large, growing to about 7.8 centimeters. It takes about 4 to 7 months for tadpoles to grow into frogs. Young frogs are often seen from September to November.
Staying Safe
When this frog feels threatened, it sometimes stands up on all its legs. It also inflates its body to look bigger. This helps to scare away some predators.
Conservation Status
The painted burrowing frog is not very common. It is facing threats like losing its natural home. Because of this, it is considered endangered in New South Wales. This means it needs special protection to help its numbers grow.
Similar Frogs
The painted burrowing frog looks a lot like other Neobatrachus frogs. It is especially similar to the Sudell's frog (N. sudelli) and the trilling frog (N. centralis). You can tell them apart by looking closely at their skin and the color of their digging bumps.
See also
In Spanish: Neobatrachus pictus para niños
