Platyplectrum ornatum
Silhouette: Dmitry Bogdanov (vectorized by T. Michael Keesey) · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~50%
The ornate burrowing frog (Platyplectrum ornatum) is a species of ground frog native to Australia. It was moved to the genus Opisthodon in 2006, following a major revision of amphibians, and is now classified in the genus Platyplectrum.
This frog is a relatively small and stubby species, growing no larger than 50 mm. It ranges in colour from grey to brown to yellow, and the dorsal surface patterns vary greatly between specimens. There is usually a butterfly-shaped patch behind the eyes. The dorsum is generally covered with red-tipped warts, and skin folds are present towards the head. The legs and arms are barred or spotted with darker markings. Toes have a slight webbing, while fingers have none.
It has the smallest genome known to any frog, and is even smaller than that of many birds. This is an adaptation to the desert environment where it lives. Because the ponds where they breed dries up fast in the desert, the tadpoles has to go through metamorphosis as fast as possible, which can occur just eleven days after the eggs were fertilized. A small genome gives small cells, and the smaller the cells are, the faster the tadpoles transform into small frogs and can escape... Wikipedia →
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Australia · 2022
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Australia · 2023
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Australia · 2026
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| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kakadu National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 2 | Lamington National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 3 | Daintree National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brisbane | 🇦🇺 Australia |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report an Ornate Burrowing Frog sighting in Kakadu National Park on a given day, based on 5 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 11th most-seen of the 12 amphibians we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
September
In that month about 40% of wildlife watchers report an Ornate Burrowing Frog in Kakadu National Park on a given day, against under 5% in March–August and October–January, the lowest months. That is one of Kakadu National Park's driest months, with about 25 mm of rain against 350 mm in January.
Between 7 and 10 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Ornate Burrowing Frog sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is mostly seen at night.
Yes
Of the 3 parks where we can rate Ornate Burrowing Frog sightings, Kakadu National Park has the highest daily chance: about 10%. Next come Lamington National Park (Australia, about 10%) and Daintree National Park (Australia, about 10%).
Same family: Limnodynastidae
The closest relatives of the Ornate Burrowing Frog that you can see in Kakadu National Park (family Limnodynastidae, Foam-nesting Ground Frogs) are Woodworker Frog (about 10%) and Marbled Frog (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Ornate Burrowing Frog is recorded against all the amphibians logged in Kakadu National Park (5 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), 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.
