What is a corroboree frog?
Corroboree frogs are small, brightly patterned frogs with yellow and black stripes, found only in the Australian Alps. Both the southern and northern species are critically endangered.
The southern corroboree frog lives in a tiny area of Kosciuszko National Park, while the northern corroboree frog lives in the Brindabella and Fiery ranges and Namadgi National Park. They breed in sphagnum moss bogs at high altitude.
Their bright colours warn predators that they are toxic. Unlike most frogs, they produce their own poison, called pseudophrynamine, rather than getting it from their food.
Fighting extinction
Chytrid fungus, a deadly disease affecting frogs worldwide, has caused corroboree frog numbers to crash. By the 2000s, only a few dozen southern corroboree frogs remained in the wild.
Zoos including Taronga, Melbourne Zoo and Tidbinbilla breed corroboree frogs and release eggs and young into disease-free enclosures in the mountains.
The frogs are named after the white and yellow body paint used by Aboriginal people in ceremonies known as corroborees.
Did You Know?
Male corroboree frogs make a short squelch call to attract females to their nests in the moss.