Delightful treefrogs of the Daintree
Treefrogs have become synonymous with environmentalism. Their beauty, diversity and susceptability to environmental stresses, have elevated their importance to a level of almost universal appeal.
Every now and then we are advised that certain species are disappearing in the wild. The green-eyed treefrog Litoria genimaculata (3rd from left), is one species that attracts such concern.
I remember, many years ago on an upland hike, grabbing an under-story tree for reassurance and responding to the unmistakable sensation of cold softness under my clasp. What most astonished me was not so much the coincidence of placing my hand upon the treefrog’s camouflaged form, but that I could not visually distinguish it from the surface of the tree.
After minutes of intense scrutiny, I finally made out the hemispherical curvature of its eye-lid and thought, what evolutionary genius!
Searching for treefrogs is fundamental to nocturnal tours at Cooper Creek Wilderness. Having dedicated the past thirteen years to such an undertaking, there are times when green-eyed treefrogs are nowhere to be found. However, on the night of the onslaught of the heavy wet season, thousands descend from their canopy refuges to mate. The sheer magnitude of rainfall overwhelms the catchment and roads are broken by flooding creeks. Participants who are lucky enough to be caught in such a deluge witness an awesome expression of treefrog diversity and population distribution. In these circumstances, the alleged disappearance of green-eyed treefrogs is contradicted, but it also on these nights, which are admittedly difficult to anticipate, that population audits are precluded by flooding watercourses.