Australia has 240 known native amphibian species, all of which are frogs. Unfortunately, frogs are one of the most threatened animal groups on Earth, with an estimated 40 per cent of species worldwide threatened with extinction. In Australia alone we have officially listed four species as extinct and a further 40 species are currently threatened with extinction.
One such Australian frog under threat is the Magnificent Broodfrog (Pseudophryne covacevichae), a species endemic to the Wet Tropics of north Queensland. Earlier this year, Ecohealth surveys conducted by AWC ecologists at Mount Zero-Taravale in 2021 successfully recorded calls of this cryptic species at a number of new locations on the sanctuary.
These new records provide hope of a larger, more secure population and offers ecologists a greater understanding of the behaviour and habitat preference for this vulnerable species in the southern extent of its range.
