Common Name: Giant Burrowing Frog, Eastern Owl Frog
Scientific Name: Heleioporus australiacus
Family: Myobatrachidae – Australian Ground Frog family
Location: Australia – New South Wales
Female Size: 2.9 – 3.8 inches (73- 97mm)
Male Size: 2.4 – 3.0 inches (60 – 78 mm)
The Giant Burrowing Frog lives in montane sclerophyll woodlands, montane riparian woodlands, wet, damp and dry sclerophyll forests. They are black, gray, or dark brown in color with yellow spots on their side.
The male Giant Burrowing Frog has been known to call all year long but peaks from February to May. Their call is an ooo ooo sound, like an owl, hence one of their common names. The female lays her eggs in burrows, underneath vegetation, or empty craw fish holes near creeks and pools. She lays between 698 to 1239 eggs. Eventually, the rains come and flush the eggs out into the nearby water body. There, the tadpoles complete their metamorphosis.
The Giant Burrowing Frog has had a huge (50 – 79%) population drop over the last couple decades. This led to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List assesses them as Endangered with Extinction. There are many reasons for the population declines. The 2019/2020 bush fires decimated the habitats and populations of many Australian species including the frog’s. Additionally, their habitats are being cleared to make room for farms and urban development. Continued severe droughts throughout the regions are not helping. Finally, introduced species, such as cats and Red Foxes (Vulpes vulpes) are known to eat the frog.