Stats

Lifespan: 10-16 yrs
Size: Large
Diet: Insectivore
Activity: Nocturnal
Social: Solitary
Biome: Tropical rainforest
Range: Australia and New Guinea
Movement: Climbing
Breeding: Egg-laying
Defense: Camouflage
Status: Uncommon

About

The Australian green tree frog is a large, docile frog native to Australia and New Guinea, famous for the fatty ridges above its eyes and along its back that give it a distinctively chubby, 'dumpy' look. Its skin secretes peptides with potent antibacterial and antiviral properties, making it a subject of medical research.

Life cycle

1.
egg
A jelly-coated egg is laid in water and develops over days into an aquatic larva.
2.
tadpole
A gilled tadpole swims and grazes on algae, slowly absorbing its tail and growing limbs.
3.
juvenile
A near-adult amphibian leaves the water with new legs and lungs, smaller than the mature form.
4.
adult
Fully grown at adult size, breathing air.

Learn more

Taxonomy

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Amphibia
Order: Anura
Family: Pelodryadidae
Genus: Pelodryas
Species: Pelodryas caerulea