Froggy heat retreats

What do frogs do when it gets this cold? The answer depends on the species and at Sydney Olympic Park, there are two strategies: some such as the Common Eastern Froglet Crinea signifera stay active but most hide themselves away until warmer weather returns.

The sleepers

The endangered Green and Golden Bell Frog Litoria aurea strategy as temperatures drop is to squeeze away in nooks and crannies and slow their metabolism down and enter torpor - a state of reduced body temperature and metabolic rate - to conserve energy. This strategy comes with some serious risks.

Being in torpor means you cannot quickly react to danger, if your hiding place is discovered by a bird, fox or cat, you are toast. Finding a good secure spot can be difficult in an urban environment where people like to tidy up and remove logs, rocks and other sheltered places.

The bell frog is also battling its own pandemic caused by the introduced chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis. This disease is most active in the cooler months and prevents the frog from functioning properly and it dies. Bell frogs are particularly vulnerable. At the moment we cannot directly address the fungus in the wild but we can take simple steps to help the frog survive by providing them access to secure shelter and increased heat.

Heat retreats

How can you help frogs? One way is to place roof tiles, bricks or log/rock piles in safe and sunny areas of your garden to provide frogs with a warm retreat to snuggle up in. By being in direct sunlight, the material heats up and the fungus cannot grow as successfully - helping frogs like the endangered Green and Golden Bell Frog to survive.