The Giant Burrowing Frog (Ranoidea australis) is a medium sized frog found across the northern tier of Australia except for the mesic tropics of NE Queensland. There is a range map for this species on the Australian Museum's Frog Identification Page. While it is a "giant" frog by Australian
frog standards, a large adult is still only 4 inches (10cm) long.
Compared to other giant frogs around the globe, it would be a medium frog. But I guess this is a giant Australian frog (although the invasive Cane Toad is notable larger!)
This species is known by a few other names including Giant Frog, Giant Snapping Frog, and Northern Snapping Frog. Some authorities prefer to use the older genus name Cyclorana for this distinctively shaped group of Australian frogs.
These frogs can be patterned like the one seen calling above or they can be uniform tan, yellow-orange or even bright green. They usually have a dark mask and can various amounts of mottling. Some have a mid-dorsal stripe which can be orange, yellow, white or absent.
These big frogs have a big call. I hear it as a loud "roark", but in groups or in the distance it can even sound like a dog barking.
Giant Burrowing Frog from Kununurra, Western Australia
Because they are such loud frogs, even in a deafening chorus of other species, the calls of R. australis stand out.
In this recording you can hear the Giant Burrowing Frogs calling in spite of the cacophony of other species, including:
Litoria rubella
Litoria ridibunda
Litoria inermis
Uperoleia lithomoda
Ranoidea maculosa
and probably other species. But the Giant Burrowers stand out!
Chorus from Kununurra, Western Australia
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© Chris Harrison 2023
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