Precious female frogs follow male mating song
Breeding season is ramping up for the Southern Corroboree Frogs that call Healesville Sanctuary home, with the females following the tune of the males’ calling.
Keepers have been mimicking wild seasonal changes within the frogs’ specialist facility, which has increased ribbiting among this Critically Endangered species.
Healesville Sanctuary Amphibian Keeper Meg Lane said loud vocalisation was the signal for keepers to introduce the two sexes, replicating what would occur in the wild.
“We introduced 23 gravid females across four breeding tanks,” Ms Lane said. “As soon as we did this, the girls made a beeline for the nesting burrows.
“It was easy to tell where the boys were tucked away in the moss because, earlier in the season, we placed little markers to locate them in a non-invasive way.
Both Healesville Sanctuary and Melbourne Zoo have breeding programs for Southern Corroboree Frogs with the combined aim to breed around 2000 eggs this year for release to the alpine habitat within Kosciusko National Park in April.
Southern Corroboree Frogs are listed as Critically Endangered in New South Wales. It is believed less than 50 remain in the wild. A major threat to this species is Chytridiomycosis, commonly known as Amphibian Chytrid [Pron: Kit-trid] Fungus disease. Chytrid impacts frog species across the globe.
Zoos Victoria's breeding and conservation work is made possible thanks to the generous support of multiple partners including the Southern Corroboree Frog Recovery Team, NSW Parks and Wildlife, NSW Environment, Energy and Science, Taronga Zoo, University of Wollongong, and Prague Zoo.
