Water reservoir frog
| Water reservoir frog | ||||||||||||
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Reservoir Frog ( Cyclorana platycephala ) |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Cyclorana platycephala | ||||||||||||
| ( Günther , 1873) |
The water reservoir frog ( Cyclorana platycephala , Syn . : Litoria platycephala , Ranoidea platycephala , Dryopsophus platycephalus ) is a frog from the family of the Australian tree frogs (Pelodryadidae).
features
This frog is six to seven inches long and brown in color; the underside is lighter.
Occurrence and way of life
The species occurs in the arid regions of Australia in sometimes drying up lakes and swamps. It feeds on insects , insect larvae, spiders , worms and mollusks .
In the rainy season the frog is active and reproduces. Before the water dries up completely, he then retreats into a self-dug chamber in the bank mud. It collects large amounts of water in cavities in the subcutaneous tissue and in its urinary bladder and then looks almost spherical (hence the Latin generic name). With these water reserves, it can survive until the next rain.
Relationship to people
The Aborigines dig up the frogs for drinking water when no other water is available. Light pressure on the frog releases water. Then the frog is released unharmed.
supporting documents
- Cyclorana platycephala at animaldiversity (English)
- Litoria platycephala onthe IUCN 2013 Red List of Threatened Species . Listed by: Jean-Marc Hero, John Clarke, Ed Meyer, Richard Retallick, Paul Horner, Dale Roberts, 2004. Retrieved September 7, 2013.