Local species Neobatrachus pictus,
known as the Painted Frog.
Pic © by Skip 2003
FROGS Page 1
Painted Frogs
Local species Neobatrachus pictus,
known as the Painted Frog.
Pic © by Skip 2003
The Painted Frog, or
Neobatrachus pictus is a common sight in our garden.
I’ve nicknamed them boofers because they are stockily built and warty in
comparison to the slender and smooth skinned Spotted Grass Frog.
N. pictus has a vertical pupil.
The generally deep olive blotches over pale to bright green background cover the
upper surface of the frog, while the underside is usually grey / white. Recently
I noticed that they seem to change their upper surface colours from dark to
brighter green over time. This requires further investigation.
The Painted Frog likes to live in the garden and burrow into the soil, only a
few inches deep during active periods. To my delight one day after digging down
about a metre we found one encased in its sealed burrow, very much alive. I
found out afterwards that the frogs aestivate in summer, digging about a metre
into the ground to stay alive in the cooler soil. I have found holes in both
worked vegetable beds and established garden areas.
Painted Frogs like to eat insects, little black beetles and snails, making them
a wonderful pest controller.
To breed they do need water. Usually during autumn rain their eggs are laid
amongst the vegetation, later sinking to the bottom to become tadpoles.
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