Bush Buds: Alpine Tree Frog

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About me:

You’ve heard of cats meowing, parrots talking, and dogs barking, but have you ever heard of a frog whistling? There are two types of whistling frogs in Australia, the Whistling Tree Frog and the Alpine Tree Frog. As their name implies, both of these species make a whistling noise, and can be heard at breeding sites in late spring and summer.

To the untrained eye, these cousins look remarkably similar; however, the distinguishing feature of the Alpine Tree Frog is its warty back, whereas the Whistling Tree Frog is generally smooth. 

Despite their similarities the Whistling and Alpine Tree Frog live very different realities. Though the whistling tree frog is widespread across Eastern Australia, the Alpine Tree Frog lives only in the south-eastern high country generally above 1100 m asl. Similarly, while the Whistling Tree Frog is relatively common the Alpine Tree Frog is facing extinction. 

Threats:

The biggest threat to The Alpine Tree Frog is disease caused by the Amphibian Chytrid Fungus, which has caused extinctions of other frog species worldwide. Other threats include climate change, habitat degradation notably from feral horses, and changes to natural water flows as a result of groundwater extraction.

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