Baby Bleating Tree Frog (Litoria dentata) Watching a Grasshopper

No. PC131942a
Photographed by Sparra Mc ©

Bleating Tree Frogs, Litoria dentata are very common in the Launceston Area. I have hundreds breed each year in my large disused inground swimming pool. From early summer I have to rescue large numbers of young frogs from the path of the lawn mower. When the summer rains fall, they congrigate on the windows, feeding on insects.

Description:
This a small but loud tree frog, upto 45mm long. It is creamish-brown to pale grey-brown above with a broad band running the head down the back. A dark stripe runs through the eye and down the side. The groin, the back of the thighs and armpits are frequently yellow, particually in males, and the belly is yellowish white. The skin is smooth above, with the belly granular. The fingers are one-third webbed with large toe discs. They have vermerine teeth between the choanae, and maxillary teeth.

Call:
A high-pitched bleat, almost painful in pitch and volume. The males callfrom the ground close to water. They are usually only seen after heavy spring and summer rains.

Habbit:
They are often associated with coastal lagoons, ponds and swamps, especailly those with grassy edges. They can be found beneath bark ans stones near the breeding sites by day.