Between the impacts of drought and bushfires, Australia’s fragile frog population has been having a rough go of it. You can be part of a collective effort to help our threatened amphibian friends by contributing to FrogID Week, a national citizen science project. Coming up from November 6 to 15, the initiative from the Australian Museum maps frog populations across Australia and helps scientists to identify areas and species under threat.
So put on your citizen science pants and work on your best David Attenborough impression. All you need to do to take part is download the free FrogID app onto your smartphone, head outside during FrogID Week, and listen for frogs. When you hear a frog, just record and submit the sound using the app. Each frog species has a unique call, but don’t worry if you don’t know all your species by sight or sound (Australia’s 241 known species of native frogs are a lot to remember). The app can identify different frog species, along with time and location data, using GPS technology. A team of frog experts will then verify all the calls submitted by the public. Technology, huh?!
Now in its third year, FrogID has so far identified more than 240,000 frog calls and 199 of the known Australian frog species, many of which are threatened. This year, the data collected will help scientists determine the impact of climate change, drought, and bushfires on frogs.
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Dr Jodi Rowley, lead scientist of FrogID and the curator of amphibian and reptile conservation biology at the Australian Museum, has been using FrogID data from bushfire ravaged areas of southeastern Australia to assess the impact on frogs and their habitat, and she says she has been encouraged by the findings.
“I was expecting the bushfires to have wiped out many frog populations, so I’ve been stunned by some of the positive signs I’ve seen recently,” she said in a press release.
“In one bushfire affected-rainforest stream, not too long after the fires, I was excited to hear the endangered Southern Barred Frog (Mixophyes balbus) calling along the stream. A few months later, I returned to find the same stream, still full of ash, full of their tadpoles … We have so much more to understand about these amazing animals, but we can only do this with help from people across Australia.”
High-priority areas during this year’s FrogID Week include the Hawkesbury, Lithgow, the Blue Mountains and Shoalhaven, while 19 different species are listed on the most wanted frogs in 2020.
You can find out more by heading to frogid.net.au and by downloading the app and making your contribution during FrogID Week, November 6 - 15. Hop to it!