Eastern Banjo Frog

Fascinating facts about the Eastern Banjo Frog

• A newly hatched Eastern Banjo Frog can grow to about 7–8 cm (2.8–3.1 in) as an adult, making it roughly the length of a standard ruler, which shows how much space these small burrowers can claim in wetlands.
• Its tadpole phase can stretch up to fifteen months, far longer than most frogs, meaning the species can stay in the water world for over a year before hopping onto land.
• When scientists decoded its DNA, they found a compact 2.38 gigabase genome containing 24,548 protein-coding genes, a surprisingly lean genetic library for an amphibian that still supports its complex calls and burrowing lifestyle.
• From November through February, a male can release a foamy clutch of up to 4,000 eggs that float on the water’s surface, a reproductive burst that can flood a pond with life in just a few days after rain.
• In 1999, tadpoles were discovered in New Zealand but were removed.

At a glance

About the Eastern Banjo Frog

The Eastern Banjo Frog, Limnodynastes dumerilii, is a compact amphibian of about seven to eight centimetres, its dark, warty back contrasting with a smooth white or mottled belly. A prominent tibial gland and fleshy metatarsal tubercles mark its limbs, while the orange-tinged flank and a bright orange stripe from eye to shoulder give the most widespread subspecies, L. d. dumerilii, a subtle yet striking splash of colour. Across its five subspecies, ranging from the orange-striped eastern form to the blue-flanked southern insularis, habitat preferences shift from woodland and heathland to coastal swamps and alpine pools, yet all share a love of still water where they breed. After rain, these burrowing frogs emerge in swarms, males announcing their presence with a resonant "bonk" that sounds like a plucked banjo string, a call that can even echo from beneath the soil. Their breeding season stretches from November to February; females deposit up to 4,000 eggs in a foamy raft that floats on ponds, streams, or dams, and the tadpoles, dark with gold speckles, spend up to fifteen months in the water before metamorphosing into frogs.

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