Frog breeding
Over the years, we've encountered five species of frogs on our block - the Clicking Froglet (Crinia signifera), the Emerald-Spotted Tree Frog (Litoria peronii), the Striped Marsh Frog (Limnodynastes peronii), the Red-groined Froglet (Paracrinia haswelli) and the Southern Brown Tree Frog (Litoria ewingii). In early Spring 2016 we constructed a small freshwater pond close to our house, hoping that some of these frogs might breed in it.
Our Frog Bog!
In the next couple of months we often sighted frogs in or around the pond and were regularly entertained in the evenings by a chorus of calling from all five species.
The maniacal calls of the Emerald-Spotted Tree Frog can be heard in this video, which was recorded from our lounge room on a warm summer's evening.
Before long we saw couples of three species in amplexus - the name given to the amphibian love embrace. The male hops onto the back of the female and holds on tightly. As she releases eggs into the water, he fertilises them with sperm.
Unsurprisingly by late Spring we saw tadpoles in the pond. Over the next few weeks, we followed the development of these tadpoles.
Metamorphosis! By mid December we had come full circle - tiny froglets were seen on the rocks around the pond.
