Litoria caerulea

Other Names: Australian green tree frog, White's tree frog, Dumpy Tree Frog.

Size: 7-11 cm

Family: Pelodryadidae, Genus Litoria (Australasian tree frogs) which has 93 species, and usually several new species identified every year.

Distribution: Much of the Northeastern half of Australia. South to almost Victoria, nearly all of NSW (except the very southern parts), basically all (perhaps all) of QLD, the northern half of NT, the top 1/4 of WA, not much of SA or VIC, not in TAS.

References: Clulow and Swan, Wikipedia.

About the Green Tree Frog

The scientific name for the Australian Green tree frog's species, "caerulea", is the Latin word for "blue". The first scientists who named the frog were in England. They had been sent a dead specimen which had turned blue on its trip from Australia, so they named the frogs after their blue colour. Scientists don't always get everything correct 100% of the time. See the originally drawn image of the "Blue Frogs" in their natural setting below.

(From Wikipedia): Larger than most Australian frogs, the Australian green tree frog reaches 10 cm (4 in) or more in length. Its average lifespan in captivity, about 16 years, is long compared with most frogs. Docile and well suited to living near human dwellings, Australian green tree frogs are often found on window sills or inside houses, eating insects drawn by the light. The green tree frog screams when it is in danger to scare off its foe, and squeaks when it is touched.

Due to its appearance and behavioural traits, the green tree frog is a popular exotic pet throughout the world. The skin secretions of the frog have antibacterial and antiviral properties that may prove useful in pharmaceutical preparations and which have rendered it relatively immune to the population declines being experienced by many species of amphibian. It is a common species and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed its conservation status as being "least concern".

Photo taken at Wild Life Sydney Zoo, NSW. Higher Resolution 2128 x 1416.

Photo taken at Wild Life Sydney Zoo, NSW. Higher Resolution 2128 x 1416.

Photo taken at Wild Life Sydney Zoo, NSW. Higher Resolution 2500 x 1734.

Photo taken at Australian Reptile Park, Gosford NSW.

The original print of White's tree frog (i.e. the Australian green tree frog), from John White's "A Journal of a Voyage to New South Wales". The (dead) specimen sent to the illustrator was blue because of the preservative used on it. Image from Wikipedia, public domain.

See Also

Australian Mammals
Australian Birds
Australian Reptiles
Australian Fish
Australian Spiders and Their Faces
Australian Wild Plant Foods

Return to Australian Frogs