Ranoidea raniformis
Silhouette: Vijay Karthick · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
The growling grass frog (Ranoidea raniformis), also commonly known as the southern bell frog, warty swamp frog and erroneously as the green frog, is a species of ground-dwelling tree frog native to southeastern Australia, ranging from southern South Australia along the Murray River though Victoria to New South Wales, with populations through Tasmania. This species' common names vary between states; the name southern bell frog applies in New South Wales and South Australia, growling grass frog in Victoria, and green and gold frog in Tasmania. This species has been introduced to New Zealand.
The growling grass frog is a very large, ground-dwelling tree frog up to 10 cm (almost 4 in) from snout to vent. It is a mottled bright green and bronze colour above, often with dark brown enameled bumps. It has a pale cream underside, with a faint cobbling pattern. A pale stripe runs from the side of the head down the flanks as a skin fold. The thighs are blue-green in colour.
There are a series of shallow bumps over its back. This frog closely resembles the green and golden bell frog (Ranoidea aurea), but is distinguished by the shallow bumps on its back, a shorter call, and a... Wikipedia →
Recording1:00
Australia · 2022
© Nick Talbot · XC904611 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
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New Zealand · 2025
© lucinda2730 · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
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Australia · 2021
© Anna Lanigan · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wilsons Promontory National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 2 | Grampians National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Taronga Zoo | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 2 | Cleland Wildlife Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 3 | Melbourne Zoo | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 4 | Moonlit Sanctuary Wildlife Conservation Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 5 | Sydney Zoo | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 6 | Willowbank Wildlife Reserve | 🇳🇿 New Zealand | |
| 7 | Melbourne Aquarium | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 8 | National Aquarium of New Zealand | 🇳🇿 New Zealand |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Southern Bell Frog sighting in Auckland on a given day, based on 7 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
March–April, June, August and November
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Southern Bell Frog in Auckland on a given day, against under 5% in May, July, September–October and December–February, the lowest months.
Between 8 and 11 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Southern Bell Frog sightings with a recorded time, and about 6 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is seen both by day and at night.
Among the best
Of the 2 cities where we can rate Southern Bell Frog sightings, Auckland ranks 2nd at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Melbourne (Australia, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Southern Bell Frog is recorded against all the amphibians logged in Auckland (7 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
