Green Tree Frog
Litoria caerula
Life span: up to 25 years. Size: 11cm
Breeding: 2-3 years old, breed all year round when conditions are right,
lay up to 1000 eggs. They hatch in 2-14 days depending on temperature.
Habit: Arboreal, nocturnal, solitary (expect to breed)
Diet: Mainly insects but will eat anything that moves and can fit into
their mouths. They will also eat other frogs that are smaller than them.
Voice: Male and female frogs call out to let each other know where they
are during the breeding season.
Conservation: Due to water pollution and loss of habitat numbers have
declined.
Found: in moist woodland areas and rainforests.
Water-holding Frogs
Cyclorana platycephala
Life span: unknown, probably up to 20 years. Size: males 42-62mm and
females 50-72mm.
Breeding: 2-3 years old, breed all year round when conditions are right
(flooding), lay up to 500 eggs, in pools of shallow water after floods, eggs
hatch in 2-14 days depending on temperature.
Tadpoles grow up to 6cm in length before turning into froglets.
Habit: They have the ability to hold water which allows them to live in
arid areas. They are capable of storing water weighing up to half their
body weight. They can live in burrows to a depth of 1metre and Aboriginal
people would dig them up in the desert and drink the water from their
bladder. The frogs can stay in their burrows for up to 5 years without
feeding or coming to the surface to feed.
Diet: Mainly insects but will eat anything that moves and can fit into
their mouths. They will also eat other frogs that are smaller than them.
Voice: They make a long, drawn out call “maw-w-w-w…maw-w-w-w”
Conservation:
Found: Are found in grasslands, temporary swamps, clay pans and
billabongs in all mainland states of Australia except Victoria
*All Australia Native Animals are protected by the Fauna Protection Act. For more information call
National Parks and Wildlife S.A ph: 81244972 or www.wildlifepermit.sa.gov.au
Spiny Leaf Insect
Extatosoma tiaratum
Other Names: Macleay’s Leaf Insect
Life span: 8-24 months. Size: 10cm
Breeding season: 6 months old, all year round in warmer areas, other
areas in summer eggs are laid.
Habit: Feeding at night due to predators during the day. They are slow
moving, only the males can fly.
Diet: Feed on various plants, mainly eucalyptus leaves.
Conservation: Manly species rely on a single type of plant to eat. They
can be affected by land clearing and pesticide sprays. Some isolated
populations have been affected by the introduction of rats. Rats will eat
the leaf insects.
Found: Different species are found throughout most parts of the world
in forests and rainforests.
Giant Rhinoceros Cockroach
Macropanesthia rhinoceros
Other Names: Giant Burrowing Cockroach or Litter Bug
Life span: 7-10 years growing up to 8cms weighing up to 35gms
Breeding: 3-4 years old in November/December (summer)
They have 5-30 live young, after around 9 months the young nymphs leave
their mother and go to construct a burrow of their own.
They grow buy shedding (moulting) their outer shell, this is done 12-13
times before they reach full size. When they moult they will be pure
white except for the eyes. They will darken over a day or so.
At this stage they are very fragile and shouldn’t be handled.
Habit: They construct burrows up to 1metre deep in sandy soil. Australia
is the only place in the world where cockroaches construct a permanent
underground burrow in which they live.
Diet: Active at night they feed on dry dead gum (eucalyptus) leaves.
They are useful insects, which perform an ecological role through
recycling nutrients in the bush
Voice: Soft hissing sound
Conservation: May become threatened due to animals being taken from
the wild for the pet trade.
Found: In rainforests, and woodlands in Queensland, Western Australia
and the Northern Territory.
*All Australia Native Animals are protected by the Fauna Protection Act. For more information call
National Parks and Wildlife S.A ph: 81244972 or www.wildlifepermit.sa.gov.au
Bird Eating Spider
Selenocosmia crassipes
Other Names: Barking Spider, Whistling Spider, Brush Footed Trapdoor
Life span: Males: 4-7 years. Females: up to 25 years. Size: 16cm.
Breeding: Males 3-4 years, females 8-10 years. After mating the female
sometimes eats the male.
Female lays up to 45-50 eggs into a silken sac.
Habit: nocturnal, solitary, digs burrow and shelters there during the day.
Warning
These spiders will bite. Their fangs will get up to 8mm in length, which
is the same size as a Red-bellied Black Snake’s fangs.
If bitten seek medical advice. Bites can cause vomiting, nausea and
arthritic pain.
Diet: Insects, like crickets and grasshoppers. They have been known to
eat chicks from small ground dwelling birds, but this is uncommon.
Voice: They rub their front pedipalps together which are covered with
bristles to produce a whistling or barking sound.
Conservation: May become threatened due to animals being taken from
the wild for the pet trade.
Found: In grasslands, rainforests, and wet, dry woodlands.
Scorpion
Liocheles sp
Life span: up to 7 years Size: 3-6cm
Breeding: 1 year old, 10- 50 babies are born, They ride on their mum’s
back for 3-4 weeks.
Habit: Solitary, nocturnal, they usually remain hiding under rocks and
logs or in a burrow during the day.
Diet: At night they feed on small insects, spiders and other scorpions.
Stinger: Can be used as a defence, or to immobilise its food. A Scorpions
sting isn’t particularly harmful to humans. It is equivalent to a wasp or
bee sting. There are scorpions overseas that are dangerous.
Conservation: May become threatened due to animals being taken for the
wild for the pet trade.
Found: in wet and dry forests and woodlands, dry tropics to arid regions
throughout Australia.
*All Australia Native Animals are protected by the Fauna Protection Act. For more information call
National Parks and Wildlife S.A ph: 81244972 or www.wildlifepermit.sa.gov.au