Meet the Moaning Frog

Article | Updated 7 years ago

The Moaning Frog, or Heleioporus eyrie, is an insectivorous terrestrial (ground dwelling) frog found in the sandy-soiled swamps and surrounding bushland of southwest Western Australia. 

This frog can grow up to 6.6cm in size, and has quite a rotund stomach. Its skin is mottled in shades of brown, grey and yellow.

Reproduction

The reproductive cycle of this frog begins after the first heavy autumn rains, when male Moaning Frogs will call out to try and find a mate.

The frogs will choose to lay their eggs in areas that are most likely to flood with the winter rains. Tadpoles need water to survive!

A female Moaning Frog can produce a clutch of 80-100 (and even up to 300) eggs. She will lay these in a specially positioned burrow excavated by the male. The burrow needs to be well positioned, as the eggs must be allowed to flood easily by rising water levels.

When the tadpoles hatch, they will wait in their foamy burrow until it rains. Only then will tiny black and gold tadpoles emerge, and feed until they metamorphose in early spring.

And so, a new generation of Moaning Frog is born! 

Etymology

The scientific name of the Moaning Frog, Heleioporus eyrei, is derived from the name of the first European person to walk across the Nullarbor Plain in 1841 – English explorer John Eyre. 

Unconfirmed Theories 

Although Moaning Frogs are common in southwest WA, scientists and researchers don’t know everything about their habits. For example, it is thought that Moaning Frogs bury themselves in moist sand and aestivate (become dormant) during the hot summer months, but this theory has not been confirmed. 

Backyard Critters

Do you have a Moaning Frog in your backyard? These frogs can be found in backyards throughout the Perth metropolitan area, especially close to wetland areas. Their calls are long and drawn out, and have been described as mournful. If you have a male Moaning Frog disturbing your sleep with their eerie calls, you can convince him to move away by gently flooding his burrow each night until he leaves to disturb your neighbours instead! 

Images and Sounds

Find out more about identifying the Moaning Frog.