Story: Amphibians
Episode: 15
Presenter: Trevor
Air Date: 27th November

• Australia is one of the most important nations on Earth for biodiversity. Caring for the environment and creating suitable living spaces for native wildlife is vitally important.
• Some general tips to help you build a frog-friendly pond:
• Easy Access to the Water
• Add Plants in and Around the Pond
• Don't Keep It Too Clean
• Provide Extra Shelter
• Minimize domestic predators such as cats and playful dogs
• Keep It Chemical Free
• By observing frog populations, we can get a good indication of the condition of the environment as frogs are sensitive to environmental change.
• They are both predators and prey, Amphibians are a class of cold-blooded vertebrates and although frogs have lungs to breathe, they also breathe through their skin to regulate moisture and fluid transfer in a process called cutaneous gas exchange.
• Too much sun can damage their cells. Too much wind can dry their skin and dehydrate the animal. As a result, amphibians are the first to die off when their habitats are disturbed or contaminated with chemicals like certain weed killers.
• Frogs are the only remaining amphibians in Australia.
• Frog eggs are mainly laid in water and their larval stage as tadpoles have developed tails and internal gills adapted to life underwater. As they mature into adult frogs, they develop lungs and live in both terrestrial and aquatic environments.
• The presence of frogs is a good indication of a healthy environment.
• The types of plants you should look at planting around your pond include, Rushes, reeds, Mondo grass and Lomandra.
• A pond adds a lovely water feature in the garden for you and your frogs to enjoy. By providing a water source, shelter and maintaining healthy waterways that create sustainable habitats for our amphibious friends we can have an enormous impact on their protection

For more information, head to:
https://www.cavershamwildlife.com.au