Giant Barred Frog

Fascinating facts about the Giant Barred Frog

• Stretching from south-eastern Queensland down to just south of Newcastle, this amphibian clings to the edges of permanent streams and rainforest creeks.
• At up to 120 mm (4.7 in) long, it ranks as Australia’s second-largest frog.
• When males call in spring and summer, the deep grunt echoes from stream banks right after rain, a reminder that their breeding chorus is timed to the wettest season.
• During amplexus, the female kicks her egg clutch onto an overhanging bank or rock; if a heavy rain follows, the eggs wash back into the water, otherwise the tadpoles drop in after 8–10 days.
• The tadpoles can reach 84 mm, making them some of the largest in Australia, which underscores how this species pushes the limits of larval growth among frogs.

At a glance

About the Giant Barred Frog

The giant barred frog (Mixophyes iteratus) ranks as Australia’s second-largest species of frog, with adults reaching about 120 mm (4.7 in). Its dorsal surface is dark brown with darker spots, the upper half of the iris is golden and the lower half darker, and a thin dark stripe runs from the snout, through the eye, to the tympanum, with a dark triangle at the nostril and a paler triangle behind it. The legs are strongly barred and the toes fully webbed; the thighs and sides are pale yellowish with darker spots, and the underbelly is white. It lives near permanent flowing streams and creeks in wet sclerophyll and rainforest from south-eastern Queensland to just south of Newcastle in New South Wales. Males call with a deep grunting noise from stream edges after rain in spring and summer. During amplexus the female places eggs on overhanging banks or rocks; the eggs remain there until heavy rain washes them into the water, or the tadpoles fall into the water 8–10 days after laying. Tadpoles grow up to 84 mm, among the largest in Australia.

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