Breeding Success for the Southern Stuttering Frog

A founding female within Aussie Ark's Southern Stuttering Frog population has produced four clutches of eggs within six months.

Happy World Frog Day! Conservation organisation Aussie Ark is celebrating this world-recognised day by shining a light on its ‘star’ endangered Southern Stuttering Frog female, who has produced an unprecedented four clutches of eggs in the past six months.

Specialised aquaria in the Conservation Ark facility are now full of frogs at every stage of their life cycle, from newly laid eggs to tadpoles and metamorphs of all stages and ages, through to a whole new cohort of fully formed frogs.

Aussie Ark famously announced its first-ever breeding success of the Southern Stuttering Frog last October, when a pair successfully produced and fertilised a clutch of eggs. Since then, the same founding female has laid another three clutches, providing a rare insight into the developmental stages of the frog.

Conservation Ark Ranger Kaitlin Murphy oversees the program and has watched the frogs in wonder as they’ve changed from eggs to adults.

“It’s incredible to see Mother Nature’s handiwork in this way, step by step,” Ms Murphy said. “It’s amazing proof we’ve created the perfect ecosystem for this species in our Conservation Ark facility. Frogs are super sensitive about their environmental conditions. Water quality, climate and food have to be perfect to get this stunning result.”

The Southern Stuttering Frog (Mixophyes australis) is a large species of frog endemic to south-eastern Australia. In the wild, it faces imminent extinction, mostly due to habitat destruction and the deadly chytrid fungus disease that is wiping out frog species worldwide.

It is one of three frog species in Aussie Ark’s breeding and rewilding program. One of the other species is the endangered Littlejohn’s Tree Frog. Aussie Ark is currently fighting to save the Littlejohn’s Tree Frog from imminent extinction, as its last known breeding habitat in the Watagans of NSW is threatened by the construction of a renewable energy substation by EnergyCo NSW.

Aussie Ark is encouraging Australians to help save the Littlejohn’s Tree Frog by contacting the NSW Minister for Planning and Public Spaces, Paul Scully. A public action page has been established where supporters can send a message to the Minister in support of protecting the Littlejohn’s Tree Frog here: https://bit.ly/SaveLittlejohnsTreeFrog