The tinker frog is part of the genus Taudactylus, which has unusual breeding behaviours
that have made life difficult for researchers.
Queensland researchers are working on a world-first frog breeding program to stop the tiny, endangered tinker frog from becoming extinct.
Two of the six species of tinker frog have already been wiped out, and researchers believe
the lethal amphibian Chytrid fungus is to blame.
The one- to two-centimetre-long frog, which is native only to Queensland rainforests, gets its name from its unique call,
according to Professor Jean-Marc Hero from Griffith University.
"The thing that really makes them stand out is their tinker, the sound they make is like
the tinker of a glass jar with a metal pen or something," he said.
Professor Hero says a new program on the Gold Coast has managed to breed the tinker frog
for the first time.
"There are only six species - they are an ancient Gondwana group - and at least three of those
are already gone," he said.
"We are looking to recover and support the species that are remaining."
Saskia Lafebre from Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary on the Gold Coast says it is an exciting development.
"The species that we are working with are almost endangered in their own right, but we are actually trying to
work with these species so we can one day work with the more endangered species of tinker frogs," she said.
Ms Lafebre says it will be around two years before the new tadpoles can breed, but if all goes well
there could be up to 400 tinker frogs hopping around.
"We've got large numbers of eggs, large numbers of tadpoles and hopefully
we can turn that in to large numbers of metamorphs," she said.
"It's very important that we learn how to breed these species in captivity so we can save them from extinction."
Long live the frog!
