Giant Barred Frogs

The friends that came over to my property to go frogging with me went to a location at Pomona to do some frogging last week. They didn't think they would find much due to the colder weather but were surprised to see one species. My friend told me that they were the same as the Great Barred Frogs on my property but they were much larger, at least twice the size! I didn't think much of it at first but then I realised that they don't get much bigger than they do at my property. I thought they could be Giant Barred Frogs but it was unlikely as they are listed as endangered and are extremely uncommon around the whole Sunshine Coast.

A few nights later they said they were going back to get some better photos so I decided to go along with them. As soon as we arrived I could hear a few individuals calling out. They sounded very much like the Great Barred Frogs but were much deeper with a slight variation in call. Within a few minutes we had located one of the frogs. They were Giant Barred Frogs alright. Firstly their size is larger but the distinguishing features are the more pointed nose and the yellow around the pupil. This is the first time I had ever seen them so I was very excited! My friend said that this was only a baby compared to the ones the other night. We found several other specimens on the walk. As well as finding several of them we heard about 15 to 20 others calling from around the area. We didn't find any that were as big as a few they saw on the first night but still very impressive!

I have since reported this location to the Sunshine Coast Regional Council and to DERM in Queensland to ensure they can be protected at this site.

Giant Barred Frog

The same Giant Barred Frog

The same Giant Barred Frog from behind

Another Giant Barred Frog

Another Giant Barred Frog

Another Giant Barred Frog

The biggest Giant Barred Frog for the night

The Giant Barred Frog with ruler comparison (approximately 11 cm)

The same Giant Barred Frog from above

The same Giant Barred Frog again

 

While we were looking for the Giant Barred Frogs we also found possibly 60 or more snails. These were large snails too. The shell had a diameter of about 50 - 60 millimetres.

 

One of the many giant snails that were seen

 

When I went to lean on one of the trees to get a photo of a Giant Barred Frog I nearly put my hand onto this millipede. I didn't realise they got this big. This specimen was about 60 - 70 millimetres long. Everything in this area seems to be giant!!!

 

The giant millipede located on the trunk of a tree

 

The same millipede from above

 

While we were at this location we also heard one Green Tree Frog and a couple of Great Barred Frogs. A Squirrel Glider come in for a visit while we were walking around also as well as a Few Ringtail Possums, one of which had a baby on its back. A beautiful way to finish the walk. Unfortunately I only had my close up camera so I was unable to get a photo of the mammals in the tree. My friend did obtain a few nice shots of them though.

Sadly this will most likely be the last Frog Blog until the rains come after Winter as most frogs have begun to hibernate. If any other frogs are located between now and then I will post them, if not see you in the near future.

Thankyou for taking the time to read my blogs. I hope they have been informative and pleasurable to read and view. I hope you have enjoyed them as much as I have taking the photos and creating them.

Bye for now.