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Story: Frogs

Green and golden bell frog

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The green and golden bell frog was introduced to Auckland from Sydney in the 1860s. The brownish eardrum shows clearly, just behind the eye. The female grows to 9 centimetres, and the smaller male to 6 centimetres. It lays thousands of eggs on water, and these hatch as small black tadpoles. With suckers on its toes, it can climb even smooth surfaces like glass. Its call can be heard in summer north of Gisborne, near water on farmland and along bush edges.

Using this item

Department of Conservation

Reference: 10036498

by Rod Morris

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How to cite this page

Paddy Ryan, Frogs – Introduced frogs, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/natural-sounds/9995/green-and-golden-bell-frog (accessed 11 June 2026).

Story by Paddy Ryan, published 1 March 2009.