My Garden Path: Frog Biologist Dr Jodi Rowley on studying Australia’s amazing frogs

Dr Jodi Rowley has made it her life’s work to study and protect Australia’s amazing frogs. She’s a frog biologist and says her work is a ‘passion’ because it often means going out at night into cold, dark, wet places, covered in mud and getting bitten by mosquitoes.
Jodi moved to Townsville to study her PhD on frogs then moved to South-Est Asia to work on frogs there - her group discovered 20 new species of frogs. Many look similar to their relatives but the Thorny Tree frog (Gracixalus lumarius) is very different - it’s pink and yellow and covered in small spikes. It lives on the highest mountain in central Vietnam and changes colour through the day.
They also discovered Helen’s Flying Frog (Rhacophorus helenae), which jumps between trees, and which Jodi named after her mother.
Australia has 240 known frog species, plus the introduced cane toad.
Frogs don’t drink water but absorb it through their skin, which makes then sensitive to pollution in the water.
Frog’s eardrums are on the outside of their bodies, and can be seen on the side of their heads.
Tree frog have toe pads to help them sucker onto walls and trees.
Frogs often seen in Australian gardens include:
- Green tree frogs (Litoria caerulea), which will often call just before it’s about to rain.
- Striped marsh frogs (Limnodynastes peronii), which have one of the most recognisable calls - like a tennis ball being hit.
- The green and golden bell frog (Litoria aurea ) sounds like a motorbike being started up.
Frogs secrete chemicals through their skin that are being examined for use in sunscreen, antivirals, anti fungals, anti tumour, anti HIV, and even for human contraception.
There are 7,000-8,00 known species of frogs in the world but scientists think 42% of all amphibian species globally - including frogs - are threatened by extinction, mostly because of habitat loss and pollution.
Frogs need plants to live - for habitat to hide under and to bring in the insects that they eat.
If trying to attract frogs to your garden, a mix of habitat is useful: still water, flowing water and marshy areas.
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[@connappliedscience4973]

Wonderful. What do you need to do, as in steps to take, to have a new species officially certified and recognised. Thanks