Four of our original species are already extinct and another 27 are endangered- our two most endangered are the southern corroboree frog (pseudophryne corroboree) and the baw baw frog (philoria frosti). 

The former only lives in a small area of Kosciuszko National Park, and it is considered that there are probably only about 100 of them left.

They are unusual in the species in that they live in wet areas, bogs, marshes and such during their breeding season and then move into adjacent drier ground for the rest of the year.

The colourful corroboree frog only grows to about three centimetres in length. You may never see either of these frogs in their natural habitat, but if you visit Taronga Zoo they have a special exhibit of this striped beauty.

The baw baw frog has a habitat every bit as restrictive as its stripe fellow, being found only on the Mount Baw Baw plateau, about 120km east of Melbourne.

There has been a dramatic 98 per cent decline in this frog’s population in the last 30 years, mainly caused by a fungal infection that has been affecting frogs worldwide. Fortunately for them, Zoos Victoria collected an egg mass (you would know it as frogspawn) in 2011 as part of a long-term captive breeding program.

Why all this fuss over a couple of reptiles?

Not only is the  extinction of any species something we cannot afford, but frogs have a special importance to the environment in that they are indicators of water quality - healthy frog population equals good water quality, whereas few or no frogs are a sign of something seriously wrong with the water.

Next time you are out beside a creek or dam listen carefully for the sound of frogs, but don’t do what I once did beside a local Orange dam. A friend was pointing out the different sounds made by different species of frog when she paused and said: “That’s a new one  on me - never heard that one before!”

It was then that I had to apologise as I had my mobile ringtone set to bullfrog.

What about all the other frogs? One of the more handsome is the green and golden frog (littoria aurea), which you won’t find in the central west as it is limited to a  strip inland from the NSW south coast. It is unusual in that it preys on other frogs that it locates when they call to each other. Another unusual feature is that this frog actually likes to bask in the sun.

In the central west we have the pobblebonk - aka eastern banjo frog (limnodynastes dumerili), so called because of its recognisable call, and perhaps the giant banjo and northern banjo frogs.

By far the most common frog in the central west is the eastern common froglet (crinea signifera), a small brown or grey frog with variable markings and a sound similar to the chirping of a cricket.

Many small boys  made their first acquaintance with frogs by collecting frogspawn or tadpoles and keeping them in a small tank until the eggs hatched. The tadpoles emerged, grew legs as their tails slowly disappeared and they became adult frogs. 

This is not a recommended pastime in these more environmentally-enlightened days when we know it is wiser to leave these creatures where you find them.