Lost frogs, also called translocated frogs,

frog A frog is any member of a diverse and largely semiaquatic group of short-bodied, tailless amphibian vertebrates composing the order (biology), order Anura (coming from the Ancient Greek , literally 'without tail'). Frog species with rough ski ...

s which have been relocated, usually accidentally, outside of their original distribution. In

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

a large number of frogs (up to 10,000 a year) transported accidentally while hiding in

fruit In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants (angiosperms) that is formed from the ovary after flowering. Fruits are the means by which angiosperms disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in particular have long propaga ...

produce,

flowers Flowers, also known as blooms and blossoms, are the reproductive structures of flowering plants ( angiosperms). Typically, they are structured in four circular levels, called whorls, around the end of a stalk. These whorls include: calyx, m ...

and

building A building or edifice is an enclosed Structure#Load-bearing, structure with a roof, walls and window, windows, usually standing permanently in one place, such as a house or factory. Buildings come in a variety of sizes, shapes, and functions, a ...

and

landscape A landscape is the visible features of an area of land, its landforms, and how they integrate with natural or human-made features, often considered in terms of their aesthetic appeal.''New Oxford American Dictionary''. A landscape includes th ...

supplies. Most of the lost frogs each year are moved from Northern Australia to the larger cities in the south. The majority of the lost frogs turn up in fruit shops and markets. These frogs are often released into the surrounding areas. The release of lost frogs into areas far from their original habitat can have devastating effects on the released frog or the local frog populations. As lost frogs often end up moving from tropical to cooler areas they often cannot adapt fast enough to the new climate, and due to the stress of travelling hundreds of kilometres, often suffer injuries and are likely to die. Lost frogs are also often responsible for the spread of disease. When a frog suffering from a disease is released into an area where the disease is not present, it can have severe effects on the local frog populations. The fast spread of the

chytrid Chytridiomycota are a division of zoosporic organisms in the kingdom (biology), kingdom Fungi, informally known as chytrids. The name is derived from the Ancient Greek ('), meaning "little pot", describing the structure containing unreleased zo ...

fungus around Australia was likely to have been assisted by the introduction of lost frogs into areas where the disease was absent.

Frog rescue

To prevent the release of lost frogs, many groups in Australia's major cities have set up lost frog rescue services. The aim of such programs is to collect the lost frogs from fruit shops or landscaping suppliers and quarantine them for 2–3 months in order to make sure it is not a carrier of exotic diseases.

Quarantine

Quarantine A quarantine is a restriction on the movement of people, animals, and goods which is intended to prevent the spread of disease or pests. It is often used in connection to disease and illness, preventing the movement of those who may have bee ...

is extremely important in the management of lost frogs. It involves holding the frog separate from others in an essentially bare container, with nothing more than a water dish, a hiding place and food. The frogs must be checked regularly for any evidence of disease and to monitor injury. Once the quarantine period is over the frog still cannot be released into the wild, because it is extremely difficult to track down the exact location where the frog originally came from. Most lost frogs are then sold to people willing to look after them or who want a frog as a pet. The Hygiene Protocol for Control of Disease in Frogs, should be followed when dealing with lost frogs, it was written by the National Parks and Wildlife Service and is recognized as one of the best guides for prevent the spread of the amphibian chytrid fungus.

Lost frog species

The majority of lost frogs are tree frogs, as these frogs often live in

banana A banana is an elongated, edible fruit – botanically a berry – produced by several kinds of large treelike herbaceous flowering plants in the genus '' Musa''. In some countries, cooking bananas are called plantains, distinguishing the ...

plantations, and are moved with the bananas when they are cut down for shipping. Therefore, the majority of frogs that end up becoming lost frogs are: * Dainty green tree frog (''Litoria gracilenta'')—also known as banana frogs for this exact reason * Green tree frog (''Litoria caerulea'') * Eastern dwarf tree frog (''Litoria fallax'') * White lipped tree frog (''Litoria infrafrenata'') *

Peron's tree frog Peron's tree frog (''Litoria peronii''), also known as the emerald-spotted tree frog, emerald-speckled tree frog, laughing tree frog, and maniacal cackle frog, is species of tree frog in the subfamily Pelodryadinae Pelodryadinae, also known ...

(''Litoria peronii'') In building and landscaping materials ground frogs are the main species which are transported; the

spotted grass frog The spotted grass frog or spotted marsh frog (''Limnodynastes tasmaniensis'') is a terrestrial frog native to Australia. It is distributed throughout all of New South Wales and Victoria (Australia), Victoria, eastern South Australia, the major ...

(''Limnodynastes tasmaniensis'') is well known for being moved long distance in such materials. There are colonies of this species in areas far from their native range, which are thought to be the result of their accidental transportation.

Cane toad The cane toad (''Rhinella marina''), also known as the giant neotropical toad or marine toad, is a large, Terrestrial animal, terrestrial true toad native to South America, South and mainland Central America, but which has been Introduced spe ...

s (''Bufo marinus'') are also known to become lost frogs, however they can usually adapt to change, and often do not die once they reach their destination. The movement of cane toads in building material is one of the causes for the spread of the species around Australia. Populations of cane toads ahead of their main frontier, such as the former population at

Port Macquarie Port Macquarie, sometimes shortened to Port Mac and commonly locally nicknamed Port, is a coastal city on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales, Australia, north of Sydney, and south of Brisbane, on the Tasman Sea coast at the mouth of the ...

, are believed to be displaced toads moved from areas in

Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...

References

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External links

The following are links to some of the groups which undertake frog rescue.
Lost Frogs-MelbourneHygiene Protocol for Control of Disease in Frogs
Frogs