Frog chorus

The frogs are in full voice around our dam and adjoining wetland at present, as you can hear by clicking on the audio below. It makes for a loud but strangely soothing soundscape.

Over the past week the Pobblebonk (or Eastern Banjo Frog), Limnodynastes dumerilii (left), has been the dominant caller, at least to our ears, but the Spotted Marsh Frog, Limnodynastes tasmaniensis, Eastern Common Froglet, Crinia insignifera, and Plains Froglet (or Eastern Sign-bearing Froglet), Crinia parinsignifera, have all been competing for air-time.

It’s only the male frogs that call, in order to attract females (and out-compete other males). Many of the male Pobblebonks have obviously done their job, judging by the many rafts of white frothy egg masses (spawn) that have appeared among sedges and rushes around the edge of the dam. Some of these spawn have tiny tadpoles appearing already (see below). The floating frothy spawn is typical of the marsh frogs, genus Limnodynastes. Crinia froglets in contrast lay individual eggs attached to stems of submerged vegetation, or on the substrate of a water body. For the tadpole to frog story see previous posts titled Metamorphosis.

The make-up of the frog soundscape varies from day to day, and even throughout the day. Perhaps they need a break every now and then from that hectic attention-seeking!