Meet The Green and Golden Bell Frog

The Green and Golden Bell frog (Litoria aurea) is one of Australia’s most beautiful amphibians. Individuals of this species can range in colour from almost full brown to full green or a mix of green and gold. These frogs have a striking metallic blue coloration on their thighs. This species is known to be active during the day and will sun themselves if given the opportunity.

Did You Know?

·   Frogs like the green and golden bell frog cant swallow food they instead use their eyeballs to push food down their throat yuck!

·   Frogs have pads on the ends of their toes allowing them to scale surfaces and climb very well

·   Green and golden bell frogs change colour to blend in to their surroundings they have active camouflage in their skin to avoid predators.

Threats:

·   Chytrid Fungus

·   Habitat Loss

·   Pollution

Wild For Wildlife’s conservation initiative

Our facility at Wild For Wildlife has successfully bred many individuals of this species, which are held as an insurance population against extinction in the wild. These individuals play a crucial role to ensure the survival of their species should an extinction event occur. These individuals also play an important role in education allowing for learning opportunities to connect people with wildlife and help them to understand the threats facing this and many other species and how anyone can help protect them in the wild.

How you can help

The biggest threat to Green and golden bell frogs as well as all other species of frogs is Chytrid fungus. If you see a frog in the wild please don’t touch or move it to prevent the spread of this disease. If you see a sick frog please report it to your relevant wildlife department so that they can track how the disease is spreading.

You can also help by never dumping harmful chemicals into drains that lead to waterways.

Meet the Growling Grass Frog

The Growling Grass Frog (Litoria raniformis) is one of Australia’s many endangered amphibians. Individuals of this species can range in colour from almost full brown to full green, this species has a distinct green stripe running along their back. This species will eat anything that can fit in its mouth including smaller frogs even of the same species. This species is known to be active during the day and will sun themselves if given the opportunity.

Did You Know?

·   The Growling Grass Frogs call resembles a motorcycle.   

·   Frogs like the Growling grass frog can’t swallow food they instead use their eyeballs to push food down their        throat yuck!

·   Frogs have pads on the ends of their toes allowing them to scale surfaces and climb very well

Threats:

·   Chytrid Fungus

·   Habitat Loss

·   Drought

·   Pollution

Wild For Wildlife’s conservation initiative

Our facility at Wild For Wildlife has successfully acquired a group to found a captive breeding program. This insurance population helps to protect against extinction in the wild. These individuals will play a crucial role to ensure the survival of their species should an extinction event occur. These individuals also play an important role in education allowing for learning opportunities to connect people with wildlife and help them to understand the threats facing this and many other species and how anyone can help protect them in the wild.

How you can help

The biggest threat to Growling Grass Frogs as well as all other species of frogs is Chytrid fungus. If you see a frog in the wild please don’t touch or move it to prevent the spread of this disease. If you see a sick frog please report it to your relevant wildlife department so that they can track how the disease is spreading.

You can also help by never dumping harmful chemicals into drains that lead to waterways.

Meet The Mary River Turtle

The Mary River Turtle (Elusor macrurus) is Australia’s largest freshwater turtle reaching shell sizes of over 50cm in length!. This species is only found in the Mary River in South East Queensland.

This turtle has two unique nicknames also known as the Punk Turtle due to algae often growing on their heads. They are also sometimes called the bum breathing turtle because they can extract oxygen from the water through its cloaca allowing them to stay underwater for 3 whole days!

Unfortunately between the 1960s and 1970s, the Mary River turtle was popular as a pet in Australia, with an estimated 10,000 or more taken out of the wild every year for around a 10 year period. Approximately 100,000 turtles where sold off as "pet shop" or "Penny turtles". Pet shop attendants would often lie to drive sales saying that these animals would only stay the size of a penny. This demands greatly reduced the numbers in the wild and today the population has declined to 95% of what it once was.

These turtle take a very long time to mature around 25-30 years before they can begin to reproduce leading to an increased risk of extinction.

Did You Know

·       This Turtle can breathe through its backside

·       This species of turtle spends so much time underwater they grow algae on their heads

·       This turtle can spend up to 3 days underwater without needing to take a breathe

·       This turtle is in the top 30 most endangered reptiles in the world

Threats

·       Poaching

·       Introduced pests

·       Predation

·       Habitat loss

·       Pollution

·       Soil erosion

Wild For Wildlife’s conservation initiative

Our facility at Wild For Wildlife has successfully acquired individuals to found a captive breeding program. This insurance population helps to protect against extinction in the wild. These individuals will play a crucial role to ensure the survival of their species should an extinction event occur. These individuals also play an important role in education allowing for learning opportunities to connect people with wildlife and help them to understand the threats facing this and many other species and how anyone can help protect them in the wild.

How you can help

Anyone can help this species and many others by keeping cats and dogs contained in your yard. unfortunately cats may hunt young turtles and other wildlife and dogs may dig up or disturb valuable nests. other ways you can help this species of and other turtles is by responsibly getting rid of any chemicals in a safe manner that doesn't accidentally end up in water ways around Australia.  

Meet The Northen Blue Tongue Lizard  (Tiliqua scincoides intermedia) Australia’s largest Skink reaching sizes of over 60cm in length!. This species is found in northern parts of Queensland, Northern Territory and Western Australia. Like other blue tongue lizards they use their bright blue tongue to scare away predators who mistake the animal as being highly poisonous or venomous because of the colour. Northern Blue tongue lizards range in colour and markings depending on where they are found.  

Did You Know

·       This is Australias Largest Skink

·       This Lizard gives birth to live young

·       This animal has a strong bite that can easily crush snail shells

Threats

·       Poaching

·       Introduced predators (Cats, Dog, Foxes)

·       Habitat loss

Wild For Wildlife’s conservation initiative

Our facility at Wild For Wildlife has successfully acquired individuals to found a captive breeding program. This insurance population helps to protect against extinction in the wild. These individuals will play a crucial role to ensure the survival of their species should an extinction event occur. These individuals also play an important role in education allowing for learning opportunities to connect people with wildlife and help them to understand the threats facing this and many other species and how anyone can help protect them in the wild.

How you can help

One easy way anyone can help this species of lizard and many others is by keeping cats and dogs contained in your yard. Cats and dogs can injure wildlife so its best to keep them away to help protect animals in the wild.