Red-crowned toadlet facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Red-crowned toadlet |
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| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Pseudophryne
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| Species: |
australis
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| DIstribution of the Red-crowned Toadlet in NSW | |
The red-crowned toadlet (Pseudophryne australis) is a small frog that lives on the ground. You can only find it in the Sydney Basin, which is a special area in New South Wales, Australia. These toadlets prefer places with sandstone rocks and cliffs. They live from Ourimbah in the north, down to Nowra in the south, and across to the Blue Mountains in the west.
Contents
What Does It Look Like?
This toadlet is quite small, growing up to about 30 millimeters long. That's about the size of a large coin! It's easy to spot because of a bright red mark on its head. This mark looks like the letter "T".
Its body is dark brown or black. It often has red spots or a red wash over its back. There's also a red mark near its bottom. The sides of its body are a blue-grey color. You might see a white spot under its arms and on its thighs. The belly is very striking! It has a strong pattern of black and white, like a marble design. Some parts between the black and white can look a bit bluish.
Where It Lives and How It Behaves
The red-crowned toadlet likes to live near temporary creeks and wet spots. These are places that only have water after it rains a lot. It lives in sandstone areas within woodlands, heathlands, and dry forests around Sydney.
Calls and Reproduction
Male toadlets make a special "ark" call. They do this from their nests, which are hidden under leaves and rocks. These spots are usually places that will get flooded when heavy rain comes. They usually only call after a big rainstorm.
The female toadlet lays her eggs under leaf litter. The tadpoles start to grow inside the eggs right away. The male toadlet stays with the eggs in the nest to protect them. When heavy rain floods the nest, the eggs hatch. The tadpoles are already quite developed when they hatch. They then finish growing in the temporary pools of water. In Sydney, you can often find these toadlets living in the same places as Giant Burrowing Frogs.
Why They Need Our Help
Sadly, the number of red-crowned toadlets has gone down. This is mainly because of cities growing bigger around Sydney. As more buildings and roads are built, the places where these special frogs live are disappearing.
Images for kids
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Red-crowned toadlet
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Distribution of the Red-crowned Toadlet in New South Wales
