Baw Baw Frog
CR

Baw Baw Frog

Philoria frosti

DecliningCRAUCRAUCRAU

Photo: Wikimedia Commons (CC) via https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baw_Baw_frog

Overview

The Baw Baw frog is a critically endangered species of Australian frog as categorised on the IUCN Red List and listed under the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act (1988), endemic to Baw Baw National Park. It has suffered a decline in population, mostly due to infection caused by chytrid fungus. Zoos Victoria has undertaken a breeding program to ensure survival of the species which commenced in 2010, and in October 2018 successfully collected the first eggs laid in captivity.

Philoria frosti faces severe threats from habitat destruction due to logging and land clearing in its restricted montane forest range. Climate change poses an additional critical threat, as rising temperatures force this cool-climate specialist to retreat to increasingly limited high-elevation refugia. The species' extremely small population size and fragmented distribution make it highly vulnerable to stochastic events and local extinctions.

Threat summary

Habitat

Philoria frosti inhabits cool, moist montane forests and adjacent wet sclerophyll forests at elevations typically above 1,000 meters in southeastern Australia. The species requires dense forest cover with abundant leaf litter and permanent moisture for breeding and survival.

Shrubland· major

Conservation measures underway

Site/area protectionSpecies managementSpecies recoverySpecies reintroductionEx-situ conservation

Other threatened species in LIMNODYNASTIDAE

EN

Pugh's Frog

Philoria pughi

Declining
EN

Richmond Frog

Philoria richmondensis

Declining
VU

Sphagnum Frog

Philoria sphagnicola

Declining
Red And Yellow Mountain FrogEN

Red And Yellow Mountain Frog

Philoria kundagungan

Declining

Frequently asked questions

Why is Baw Baw Frog classified as Critically Endangered?
Baw Baw Frog is classified as Critically Endangered — facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild — because population sizes are very small, declining sharply, or restricted to a tiny range. Philoria frosti faces severe threats from habitat destruction due to logging and land clearing in its restricted montane forest range. Climate change poses an additional critical threat, as rising temperatures force this cool-climate specialist to retreat to increasingly limited high-elevation refugia. The species' extremely small population size and fragmented distribution make it highly vulnerable to stochastic events and local extinctions.
Where does Baw Baw Frog live?
Baw Baw Frog occurs in across multiple regions. Country-level distribution data is sourced from the IUCN Red List and cross-referenced with GBIF occurrences.
What are the main threats to Baw Baw Frog?
The main threats to Baw Baw Frog are 11.1, 2.3, 7.2, and 8.1. The full IUCN-classified threat record for this species is detailed on the species page.

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