Fats Logo

 

Meeting: Friday 4th October 2024

Frog-O-Graphic 2024 People's Choice

Speaker: 

    Roy Farman (University of NSW)

      "It's all in the hips - uncovering Australia's froggy past.

       Australian Fossil Frogs."


Meeting: Friday 2nd August 2024

Speakers: 

    Lachlan Hart  "What the FROG is a temnospondyl?"

      Arthur White "Cane Toad Control - planning for 2024"


Meeting: Friday 7th June 2024

Speakers: 

   Brittany Mitchell (PhD Student at UNSW)

  "Frogs in the Anthropocene:

        Frog responses to Climate Change and Disease"

 

 

  Arthur White

   "Some notable Amphibians from the Past and the Present"

 

 


Meeting: Friday 5th April 2024

Speakers: 

    Jenny O'Meara (Sydney Olympic Park Authority):

      "Conserving Green and Golden Bell Frogs:

        challenging, delightful but sometimes confounding"

  Michelle Toms and Fabian Byers: "February Smiths Lake Excursion"

  Arthur White: "The Case of the Midwife Toad"

Greenacre Open Day Saturday 30th March 9:30 am to 12 pm

    Hosted by the Cooks River Alliance of local councils and FATS 

   1z Bellfrog St, Greenacre (GPS -33.9064, 151.0748)

    What Three Words ///exists.scan.debate

Supper

 


Meeting: Friday 2nd February 2024

Speakers: 

  Luc Streit: "Frogs and Toads jump a surprise"

  Arthur White: "Greenacre Open Day"

  Arthur White: "Smiths Lake Field Trip report November 2023"

Supper

 


Meeting: Friday 8th December 2023

(Not first Friday)

Speakers: 

  Michael McFadden (Taronga Zoo)

       Update on the Corroboree Frog program

Christmas Party


Meeting: Friday 6th October 2023

Speakers: 

  Marion Anstis "Animal adventures in Borneo"

 Arthur White  "Dry season frogging at Berry Springs"

                        "Auditory surveys at SOPA"

                        "Changing the FATS Executive"

FROG-O-Graphic 2023 People's Choice

Supper


Meeting: Friday 4th August 2023

 Annual General Meeting:

  Election of Committee: 

Speakers: 

  Arthur White

    "History of FATS"

   Arthur White

    "The Conservation of Native Frogs in Fiji"

 Supper


Meeting: Friday 2nd June 2023

 Speakers: 

  Levi Brown (Macquarie Uni)

   "Detection of fire-related cues by frogs"

  Arthur White

   "Frogs of Berry Springs, Northern Territory"

 Supper


Meeting: Friday 31st March 2023

 Speaker:

 Jordann Crawford-Ash (ANU):

  The battle to control Frog Chytrid Disease and its Pathogens

 Supper


Meeting: Friday 3rd February 2023

Shannon Kaiser: (PhD Candidate at Macquarie University)

    Interaction between Frogs and Environmental chemicals

Arthur White:    

    Why Cold-blooded (ectothermic) animals will outlive us all

     Smith's Lake Field Trip Nov 2023

Please note: The April meeting will be held on Friday 31st March

 Supper


Meeting: Friday 2nd December 2022

 SmithsLake March 2017 P3191380SmithsLake

Speakers:  Arthur White

    Smiths Lake Recollections

Frog-O-Graphic 2022 Prize Award

Supper


Meeting: Friday 7th October 2022

Speakers: 

Chad Beranek (University of Newcastle)

Winners and Losers of forest amphibians after the

       2019-2020 black summer fires

Frog-O-Graphic 2022 People's Choice


Meeting: Friday 5th August 2022

Annual General Meeting

Speakers: 

Grant Webster "Anstisia and the ground frogs of Western Australia"

Jilli Streit          "Cuban Tree Frogs in America"

Kathy Potter    "Flash Colours in Frogs"


Meeting: Friday 3rd June 2022

Speakers: George Madani

How do we sleep while our beds are burning?
Impacts of the 2019-20 mega-fires on the Golden-tipped Bat.

GeorgeMadaniGolden tipped Bat

 

  Tim Cutajar (Australian Museum)

Tim Cutajar Can bugs do it better?

 Early success and future research
  using DNA from parasites
  to find frogs.

 

 

 


Meeting: Friday 1st April 2022

Speakers: Sarah Stock from the University of Newcastle

sarah stock

  "Genetic isolation in 

     Litoria littlejohni

       and Litoria watsoni"

 

 

 Peter Spradbrow: Frogs of the Lismore area

 

Michelle Toms talks about Smiths Lake Trip March 2022  

2022 03 12 Smiths Lake People

 

 

 

 

 

2022 03 12 Smiths Lake View

  


Meeting: Friday 4th February 2022 (Masks must be worn in the meeting room)

The meeting will have reduced numbers (maximum 25), people need to register in advance by emailing Arthur (see Contacts page).

People will also need to register when they arrive (by QR code or by signature).

SOPA only wants people who have been fully vaccinated attending so people will have to show proof of vaccination at the door.

If you are not double vaccinated or cannot prove that you are double vaccinated, you will not be admitted to the meeting.

We will have hand washes and sterile wipes available at the meeting.

Seating will be arranged to provide maximum spacing, and numbers allowed into confined areas (such as the kitchen) will be regulated.

Talk

Arthur White:  " The Origin of Frogs".

                      What did frogs evolve from and how were frogs (amphibians) regarded by humans throughout history.

 


Meeting: Friday 3rd December 2021 (UPDATE: Masks must be worn in meeting room)

People do not need to register in advance.

Numbers are not limited but people will still have to register when they arrive (by QR code or by signature).

SOPA only wants people who have been fully vaccinated attending so people will have to show proof of vaccination at the door.

If you are not double vaccinated or cannot prove that you are double vaccinated, you will not be admitted to the meeting.

We will have hand washes and sterile wipes available at the meeting.

Seating will be arranged to provide maximum spacing and numbers allowed into confined areas (such as the kitchen) will be regulated.

Meeting Format

The meeting will have a few short talks (mostly by Arthur White) and then a Trivia Quiz and then some food.

Talk 1: The Olm or Cave Dragon

Talk 2: Strathfield Green and Golden Bell frog project update

Talk 3: Smiths Lake field trip report (by Josie Styles)

Presentation of Frog-O-Graphic 2021 Prizes

Trivia contest


ZOOM AGM Only on Friday 6th August 2021 at 7:00 pm.

FATS ZOOM Meeting Details 24 Hours before meeting


Friday 4th June 2021 6:30pm for 7pm

Speakers:

Roy Farmer: UNSW "Frog Fossils: The Australian Perspective"

Arthur White           "How to find an extinct frog"

                                "Saving Heleioporus in Victoria"


Friday 9th April 2021 6:30pm for 7pm

Note 2nd Friday of April due to Public Holiday

Due to COVID19 requirements, the Education Centre can
hold no more than 25 people. Please contact Arthur White
by email (see Contacts page) to confirm your
attendance and the total number of people with you. He will

advise if there is room, or whether the meeting is booked out.


Speakers:

Samantha Wallace "Joys of working with Litoria littlejohni and Litoria watsoni"

Arthur White         "Wyong Pioneer Dairy Farm Survey"


Supper


Friday 5th February 2021 6:30pm for 7pm

Due to COVID19 requirements, the Education Centre can
hold no more than 25 people. Please contact Arthur White
by email (see Contacts page) to confirm your
attendance and the total number of people with you. He will
advise if there is room, or whether the meeting is booked out.


Speaker: Arthur White “Measures to recover Green and Golden Bell Frogs in Sydney.”

                Marion Anstis "Parental 'Care' outside the square"


Friday 4th December 6:30pm for 7pm

Due to COVID19 requirements, the Education Centre can
hold no more than 25 people. Please contact Arthur White
by email (see Contacts page) to confirm your
attendance and the total number of people with you. He will
advise if there is room, or whether the meeting is booked out.


Speaker: Grant Webster, giving us a special show of Aaron Payne's photos"


Frog-O-Graphic 2020: Competition prizes awarded


Trivia Quiz, raffle, Christmas supper


Friday 2nd October 6:30pm for 7pm

Due to COVID19 requirements, the Education Centre can
hold no more than 25 people. Please contact Arthur White
by email (see Contacts page) to confirm your
attendance and the total number of people with you. He will
advise if there is room, or whether the meeting is booked out.

Speaker: Arthur White "Riversleigh, fossil frogs and frogs"

Frog-O-Graphic 2020: Peoples Choice


FATS AGM AND ORDINARY MEETING


7PM FRIDAY 7 AUGUST 2020


The Education Centre can hold a maximum of 25 people,

spaced out ( COVID19 requirements ). To ensure no more

than 25 people attend, please contact our

President Arthur White by email to confirm your attendance.

Speaker: Arthur White 

“Drought, Bushfires and COVID: a lethal cocktail for our native wildlife”

Next Meeting: Friday 4th December 6:30pm for 7pm

Due to COVID19 requirements, the Education Centre can
hold no more than 25 people. Please contact Arthur White
by email (see Contacts page) to confirm your
attendance and the total number of people with you. He will
advise if there is room, or whether the meeting is booked out.

Speaker: Grant Webster, giving us a special show of Aaron Payne's photos"

Frog-O-Graphic 2020: Competition prizes awarded

Trivia Quiz, raffle, Christmas supper


Friday 2nd October 6:30pm for 7pm

Due to COVID19 requirements, the Education Centre can
hold no more than 25 people. Please contact Arthur White
by email (see Contacts page) to confirm your
attendance and the total number of people with you. He will
advise if there is room, or whether the meeting is booked out.

Speaker: Arthur White "Riversleigh, fossil frogs and frogs"

Frog-O-Graphic 2020: Peoples Choice

FATS AGM AND ORDINARY MEETING



7 PM FRIDAY 7 AUGUST 2020

The FATS AGM will be held at the Education Centre at Bicentennial Park

on the 7th of August 2020.

Space is limited and only those people who have registered in advance

by email to Arthur White will be permitted inside.

Below is the agenda of the AGM. Nominations for council positions have closed

but if you have any items for General Business please send them

to Arthur White before the 6th of August. 

 

Agenda

 Speaker: Arthur White 

“Drought, Bushfires and COVID: a lethal cocktail for our native wildlife”

Frog-O-Graphic 2020 Opens 1st May


Meeting Friday 7th February 2020 6:30pm for 7pm

Speakers:

   Jordan Crawford-Ash from Australian Museum

                 "Are they just bad neighbours? :

         Understanding the infection dynamics of the amphibian

         chytrid fungus for three Sydney frog species"

Kathy Potter

         "Call Races in Limnodynastes tasmaniensis

          What do they mean?”

 


Meeting Friday 6th December 2019 6:30pm for 7pm

Speaker:

 Marion Anstis   Marion Anstis talking about her

    recent trip to Costa Rica  costa rica map

 

    The Frog-O-Graphic prizes will be

    awarded

 

    Christmas Party

 


Meeting Friday 6th October 2019 6:30pm for 7pm

Speaker:

    Chad Beranek from Newcastle Uni.

    "Frogs and Fish: Unravelling the Aquatic Competition".

    The Frog-O-Graphic, People’s Choice winner

    will be voted on by everyone at the meeting


Meeting Friday 2nd August 2019 6:30pm for 7pm

Speakers:

    Henry Cook        "Novel ways to help threatened species"

    Grant Webster    "New Zealand Frogs and a possible population of

                                      Litoria castanea"

    Arthur White       "Impacts of feral horses on Corroboree Frog habitat

                                     in Koscuisko National Park"


Meeting Friday 7th June 2019 6:30pm for 7pm

Speaker: Glenn Shea       

  "The early European history of discovery and study of Sydney's frogs

    Part 2 - the rise of local naturalists"


Meeting Friday 5th April 2019 6:30pm for 7pm

Speakers: Glenn Shea        "The early history of Sydney's frogs"

Punia Jeffery     "Axolotls"

FATS Easter Show 2018

 

 

FATS will be at the Easter Show

Mon 22nd and Tue 23rd April

 

 

 

 

 


Meeting Friday 1st February 2019 6:30pm for 7pm

Speaker:

Arthur White:    "Why are true frogs true"

Simon Clulow will discuss his new book

      “Frogs of Australia”, signed copies for sale ($45) at the meeting 

Punia Jeffery:    "Axolotl relatives"

Arthur White:  "Frogs in Amber"


Meeting Friday 7th December 2018 6:30pm for 7pm

Speaker: John Cann  talking about turtles

Presentation of Frog-O-Graphic 2018 Awards

Christmas Party


 

Meeting Friday 5th October 2018 6:30pm for 7pm

Speaker: Marion Anstis Living grasslands of Serengeti

                      Punia Jeffery Axolotls and reproduction


Meeting Friday 1st June 2018 6:30pm for 7pm

Speaker:

Arthur White           "Are frogs primitive?"

The talk is about the origins of frogs and some of the characteristics that
they have retained which, to human eyes,
appear very basic or primitive.

Punia Jeffery          Keeping Axolotls

Natalia Sabatino    Yabbies and their diet


Meeting Friday 6th April 2018 6:30pm for 7pm

 Speaker:

Grant Webster   "Kim Dong's Hot Pot - the frogs of Korea"


Meeting Friday 7th February 2018 6:30pm for 7pm

Speakers

Arthur White - "Frogging in Australia, those who have discovered species"

Kathy Potter  - "FrogID App from Australian Museum"

 


Meeting Friday 1st December 2017 6:30pm for 7pm

Speaker

Marion Anstis - Photographic journey in South Africa

Frog-O-Graphic 2017 Winners awarded

Christmas Party

Meeting Friday 6th October 2017 6:30pm for 7pm Speaker

"Managing a National Icon-

   Green and Golden Bell frogs at Sydney Olympic Park" 

Jenny O'Meara SOPA 

Frog-O-Graphic 2017 Winners announced

Audience participates in Peoples Choice


Meeting Friday 4th August 2017 6:30pm for 7pm

Emma McInerney and Shannon Helleher -

         University of Wollongong

      What makes a good Corroboree Frog?

      Conservation solutions for a critically endangered amphibian.

Arthur White 

      Talk about suburban frogs calling and neighbourhood disputes.

Annual General Meeting 


Meeting Friday 2nd June 2017 6:30pm for 7pm

Michael McFadden

      Update on the Corroboree Frog recovery program

Grant Webster: 

      Proposed changes to the scientific names of frogs in Australia


Meeting Friday 7th April 2017 6:30pm for 7pm

Arthur White

      The response of the scientific community in Australia to the decline in native frogs

Fabian Byers 

      Smith's Lake March 2017

Jilli Streit 

      Adventures in Florida and Costa Rica trip

 


Meeting Friday 3rd February 2017 6:30pm for 7pm

Arthur White - "Swimming in Sand" 30 years at Wallingat

Arthur White - "Taren Point outcome"


NEWLog that Frog is for recording sightings of Australian Frogs


2016 12 02 FATS25th

 

 

FATS

  

25

years

 

 

 


Meeting Friday 2nd December 2016 6:30pm for 7pm start 

 Speakers: 

2016 12 MarionaAntisArtic

 

Marion Anstis -  

‘Arctic glimpses: Svalbard

  in Summer’

 

2015 04 22 A.Payne Lim.d.dumerilli

Frog-O-Graphic 2016 awards presented

 Photo: Limnodynastes dumerilii dumerilii by Aaron Payne 

Arthur White

 

 

 

 

 Arthur White Short Presentations

 

 

 


Friday 7th October 2016 6:30pm for 7pm start 

 Speakers: 

Cameron Webb

 

Cameron Webb

  "Mosquitoes, Climate Change and

     shift in distribution"

  


2015 04 22 A.Payne Lim.d.dumerilli

Frog-O-Graphic 2016 has closed

People's Choice to be decided at October Meeting

FATS Financial Members

Photo: Limnodynastes dumerilii dumerilii by Aaron Payne 

Friday 5th August 2016 6:30pm for 7pm start

Annual General Meeting

2013 10 GGBFSurvey

 Speakers: 

   Arthur White - History of Green

       and Golden Bell Frogs in Sydney

     Peter Spradbrow - Elephants are not Frogs

 

 

 


Friday 3rd June 2016 6:30pm for 7pm start 

Speakers: 

"Frogs of South-East Asia"   Dr Jodi RowleyJodiRowley2

 

 

 

 

"Mitigating the impacts of road upgrades

on threatened frogs in NSW"  Josie Stokes

2015 03 14 Josie with GGBF 


Friday 1st April 2016 6:30pm for 7pm start 

 

2016-03-24-HenryCook  Henry Cook        

    "Frog anecdotes from around the world"

 

 

 

MarionBook  Marion Anstis      

     "New species of Australian Frogs 2008-15"

 

 

 

 

 


SmithsLake

  Peter Spradbow  

     "Smiths Lake Field Trip"

 

 

 

 

 

 


Friday 5th February 2016 6:30pm for 7pm start 

 

Speakers:

 

"Frogging in Kakadu National Park -

 

  frogs of the wet and dry seasons" - Arthur White

 

 "Smith's Lake - November 2015" - Peter Spadbrow

 

"Sex reversal in Frogs" - Arthur White


 

Friday 4th December 2015 6:30pm for 7pm start 

Speaker:   Graham Pyke "Broughton Island"

2015-04-22 A.Payne-Lim.d.dumerilli 

 

 FATS Frog-O-Graphic 2015 competition 

 

Winners awarded

 


Friday 2nd October 2015 6:30pm for 7pm start

Speaker:     David Nelson “Frogging Costa Rica”

2015-04-22 A.Payne-Lim.d.dumerilli 

 

 FATS Frog-O-Graphic 2015 competition 

 

Winners announced and People's Choice decided


 

Friday 7th August 2015 6:30pm for 7pm start

Speaker:   Marta Vidal-Garcia

MartaVidal-Garcia

 

 "Jump to it!

   Locomotion in Australian Frogs"

 

 

 

 

 

 

Annual General Meeting


 

Friday 5th June 2015 6:30pm for 7pm start 

Speaker

 Grant-Webster

Grant Webster

   "Pseudophryne bibronii"

the many forms of the Little Brown Brood Frog

Arthur-White

 

 

 

Arthur White

   "Frog sound and hearing"

Guess what - frogs hear what we don't hear, and make sounds

that are not meant for us.  Get it from the frog's point of view.

 

 


 

 

Friday 10th April 2015 6:30pm for 7pm start 

Speaker

2015-03-14 Josie with GGBF

 

 

 

Josie Stokes

   "Boom, bust..boom!- 

    A short history of the GGBF

    on the Shoalhaven floodplain"

 

 

 

 Jilli Streit    Smiths Lake March 2015

FATS at Easter Show

Five favourite photos


  Supper 

 

Friday 6th February 2015

Speaker:

 2015-01-28 Litoria olongburensisArthur-White

 Arthur White

 

  "Life as a Wallum Sedge Frog"

   Litoria olongburensis

 

 

 

  Photo by Marion Anstis


 

2014-11-07-SmithsLakeatSandbar

Jilli-Streit 

Jilli Streit

 

"Smiths Lake Nov 2014

  Field Trip Report"

 

  

 

 


 2015-01-28 Pseudophryne pengilleyiMonica-Wangmann-Full

 

 Monica Wangmann

 

   "Northern Corroboree Frog visit

    at Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve"

   Pseudophryne pengilleyi

 

 

 Photo by Marion Anst

 Friday 5th December 2014

Gerry Swan - "Life in the Trenches"

                            A fascinating account of the rescue of native wildlife

                            during the laying of gas pipelines,

                            especially in Queensland.

 Frog-o-Graphic 2014 awards presented

 Video of Whitley award presentation to Marion Anstis

 Berlin Aquarium visit by Punia Jeffery

 Supper

Friday 3rd October 2014

CaneToad 

 

 

 

Chris Jolly

 

   "Defending Native Animals from Cane Toads"

 

 

 

 

 

 

Friday 1st August 2014

Annual General Meeting to elect FATS Committee

Grant-Webster

 

 Grant Webster:

 

"Australia's false toads -

 

Pseudophryne,

 

the bold and beautiful brood frogs"

 

Arthur-White 

 

Arthur White will be giving a

 

presentation on the oldest

 

Australian fossil frog

 

 

 


 

Friday 6th June 2014

2014-06-06-RobertJohnsonGuideHealthRepAmp   Dr Robert Johnson

 

"The metamorphosis of the amphibian vet".    

 

Marion-Anstis 

 

Marion Anstis

 

"Some adventures in Galapagos

 

and the Amazon"

 

 


 

Friday 4th April 2014

 

Cameron-Webb

 

      Cameron Webb (Westmead Hospital)  

 

      cameronwebb.wordpress.com

 

      "Taking the bites out of frogging".

 

 MosquitoTalk will be about mosquitoes

 

  (mosquito photo by Andrew Nelson) 

 

 

 


 

Friday 7th February 2014

  JakeJanos Jake Janos “Central Bearded Dragons and their Mutations" and “Frog husbandry”CentralBeardedDragon

 

 


Arthur-White

 Arthur White "Ghost Bats and Cane Toads in Kakadu"

 

 

 

 

 


 MarionBookMarion Anstis 2014 Australian Society of Herpetologists (ASH) Meeting

 

 

 


 

Lothar-Voigt

Lothar Voigt Pool to Ponds conversions

 

 

 

 

 

 


Friday 6th December 2013

Report of book launch of "Tadpoles and Frogs of Australia" by Marion Anstsis. Book will be available for purchase (standard edition).MarionBook

Smith's Lake trip report

Frog-o-Graphic Awards (see below)

Ian Morris "Frogs of the Top End"

Christmas Party

 


Frog-o-Graphic 2013 Category Winners

 

      Junior Art   (Left)              2013JuniorArt2013SeniorArt      

       Ryan Little

       Senior Art  (Right)            

        Vicki Deluca

  

      Senior Pet Frog (Left)        2013SeniorPhoto2013SeniorPetFrog

      Karen Russell

    Senior Photo  (Right)        

       David Nelson

  

    Most Interesting  (Left)       2013PeoplesChoice2013MostInteresting

      George Madani                               


    People's Choice  (Right)    

    George Madani

 

 

 

 


 

Friday 4th October 2013

   Ken Griffith  

     "A Naturalist's Rambles through Central Australia and the USA"

   Frog-o-Graphic 2013 People's Choice Selection

   Frog-o-Graphic 2013 Winners announced

2013-10-GGBFSurvey   

   Volunteers needed for

 

   SOPA Auditory Frog Survey

 

   at Olympic Park

 


 

  

Friday 2nd August 2013

 

Annual General Meeting with Election of FATS Committee

 

   Main Speakers:  Karen Russell and Marie Callins

 

            Keeping Frogs Happy and Healthy

            Marion Anstis - Madagascar

            Arthur White - Whats live in a Dark Deep Cave

 

Friday 7th June 2013       

7:00 pm    Welcome and announcements.

Main speaker: Marcelle Douglas, Macquarie University on a Chytrid case study

Arthur-White

 

 

Arthur White: Lazarus Project.

  9:00 pm       Supper

 

 


 

Friday 5th April 2013 

Grant-Webster-Student-Prize 

Grant Webster               

 Is a male frog being yellow an advantage ?

 

 Australian Society of Herpetologists (ASH) conference at Point Wolstoncroft at Lake Macquarie in January awarded Grant the prize for best student presentation amongst all honours and masters students, for his work on colour change in frogs. Well done Grant!

(Photo from  http://whitinglab.com/?p=3962)

 

Announcement of Frog-o-Graphic 2013 Competition

 

 

 

 


Friday 1st February 2013

Frogs of Queensland Book

 Eric Vanderduys        

     Author of "Field Gude to Frogs of Queensland" 2012

      A limited number of discounted copies 

    will be available for sale at the FATS meeting.

    Discount price is $30 (instead of $45 rrp). 

    Eric Vanderduys may sign books bought on the night.

   

 

 

    Emily Stratins  Frog habitat selection in a peri-urban environment; do frogs avoid weeds?

 

 Author: Eric Vanderluys "Frogs of Queensland"    Emily Stratins talk                                                

 

2013-02-01-Eric-Vanderluys 2013-02-01-Emily-Stratins-Talk

 

 Emily Stratins                                            Jilli Streit on Smith's Lake Trip Nov 2012

 

 2013-02-01-Emily-Stratins  2013-02-01-Jilli-Streit

 

25th to 28th April, Smith's Lake Field Trip


 

Friday 7th December 2012

Frog-o-Graphic winners and selection of People Choice. Arthur White on Caecilians and FATS 21st Birthday Party

2012-12-07-Peoples-Choice   2012-12-07-Arthur  2012-12-07-Party

Friday 5th October 2012

Venue: Education Centre, Bicentenial Park

7:00 pm    Welcome and announcements. Introduction by Punia Jeffery
Robert Wall announced the following field trips:
   Darkes Forest for Saturday 6th October leader Ken Griffiths.
   Smith’s Lake Friday 2nd to Sunday 4th November, leader Arthur White, contact Karen White.
   Watagans’ trip in December leaders Brad and Matt McCaffery
Frog-o-graphic competition winners to be announced in December.

Amphibian-Research-CentreDonated packages of crickets and flies from Gerry Marantelli of the Amphibian Research Centre, Vic were shared with members. Contact ARC (www.frogs.org.au) if you wish to purchase these items as the income will help ARC fund research on Australian frogs.

 

 

 7:45 pm    Speakers

Matt Greenlees from University of Sydney talked about Radio Tracking of Cane Toads. 2012-10-05-Matt-Greenlees

Matt started investigating Cane Toads and their interactions with other mammals, fishes and reptiles at Fogg Dam NT, as an Honours project with Prof. Rick Shine in 2004. Matt continued at University of Sydney with a PhD in the area of Cane Toads interactions with frog species. Matt presented a detailed description of the Cane Toad’s history and its breeding characteristics; the pervasive nature of the toad’s toxin through from the female’s ovaries to the egg and tadpole stages and to metamorphs and adult toads. The rate of advance of the invasion front from east to west across the top of Australia (55km/year) compared with NSW (10-15km/year) was attributed to longer legs developed by the northern population. Matt also spoke of the work on the cane toad infestation in the Sutherland Shire and Taren Point in the last few years and that over 500 toads had been collected from March 2010 to Feb 2012. The Sutherland population is probably under control with only two found so far this season.
Problems caused by cane toads fall into two main areas: they eat and compete with native species and they poison native predators including frogs, reptiles, birds and mammals. Matt discussed mortality rates for the predators and observations of species which were less susceptible to the toxin such as populations of Bluetongue lizards previously exposed to the succulent exotic plant mother-of-millions.  He explained strategies developed by other animals, avoidance training experiments and the use of the attractive nature of toad toxin as a bait for large-scale trapping of toad tadpoles.
 Matt’s current project includes tracking Cane Toads in the Clarence Valley NSW.

2012-10-05-Harald-GeorgeHarald Ehmann, the founding chairperson of FATS on a visit from Adelaide, talked about “To dry is to die – frog life in central Australia”. Harald (left in photo) works with Aboriginal people of the Pitjanjatjara and Yangkunitjara nations (Anangu) in the Alinytjara Wilurara (AW) Region of northern and western South Australia. Harald described strategies used by desert frogs to retain their moisture, including burrowing up to a 1.6 m down into the desert sand. In the Desert Trilling Frog the webbing along the side of the body to the knee is an adaption for burrowing in loose dry sand. Species in this area are Platyplectron spenceri, Cyclorana maini, Neobatrachus centralis/sudelli and N. sutor, Litoria rubella, and in some of the central ranges, the Springs Frogs, one of which has very recently been described as Pseudophryne robinsoni. There are very likely two and possibly three species of Springs Frogs in only a few of the 30+ springs in the Anangu Pitjanjatjara Yangkunitjara Lands.

Feral animals such as donkeys, horses and camels pollute the watercourse springs and associated waterpools that Springs Frogs totally depend on. They are also impacted by too little water due to extraction from the spring-feeding aquifers, or too much water which is a natural occurrence when heavy rains produce huge torrents in the creek beds with springs. Competition in the tadpole stages with other co-existing species may be a factor in limiting the Springs Frogs. Predation by large Cyclorana maini tadpoles on smaller Springs Frogs tadpoles and on the vulnerable metamorphs is also a risk besides predation by young Cyclorana maini frogs.

Ongoing work includes searches for additional occurrences of Springs Frogs at sites still to be checked, monitoring of known populations and their threats, and management of the threatening factors. Anangu are involved at each stage of the work, and their involvement includes training so that they can take over and continue the work in the future.


 

Friday 3rd August 2012

Venue: Education Centre, Bicentenial Park

6:30pm for Lost frogs needing forever homes: Perons, Rubellas & Striped Marsh Frogs. Please bring your FATS membership card and cash $ 30 - $ 50 donation. NSW NPWS amphibian licence must be sighted on the night. Rescued frogs can never be released. 

7:00 pm    Welcome and announcements.

                    Annual General Meeting

Arthur White     President's Report

Karen White     Treasurer's Report

                    Election of Office Bearers

7:30 pm    Speakers

George Madani                 Journey into Wild Borneo: Part 2

Arthur White                       Caecilians: what are they?

 

9:00 pm    Show us your frog images, tell us about your frogging trips or experiences, guessing competition, continue with frog adoptions, supper & a chance to relax and chat with frog experts.


 

 

Friday 1st June 2012

6:30pm for Lost frogs needing forever homes: Perons, Rubellas & Striped Marsh Frogs. Please bring your FATS membership card and cash $ 30 - $ 50 donation. NSW NPWS amphibian licence must be sighted on the night. Rescued frogs can never be released. Probably few if any frogs this meeting as Monica is away.

7:00 pm    Welcome and announcements.

7:30 pm    Speakers

David Nelson                      Journey into Wild Borneo: Part 1

Grant Webster                   Is a yellow male frog a chick magnet?

Marion Anstis                     Four new species of Nursey Frogs - genus Cophixalus

Arthur White                       Paedophryne - the world's smallest frog

Arthur White                       Caecilians: what are they?
 

9:00 pm    Show us your frog images, tell us about your frogging trips or experiences, guessing competition, continue with frog adoptions, supper & a chance to relax and chat with frog experts.


 

  Friday 13th April  

Venue: Education Centre, Bicentenial Park

6:30pm Rescued Frogs sales

7:00pm Main Meeting

Speakers:                               Topic

 Matthew Bulbert (Macquarie Uni)

               “Its a hard life being a male Túngara frog: a lesson in
          dealing with choosy females, eavesdropping bats, blood-sucking flies
          and the odd nosey researcher”. Frogging adventures in South America.

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Arthur White

                     Those strange amphibians called caecilians.     

 

 

 

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Phillip Grimm

                  FATS Web Site Redeveloped     

 

 

 

From the Floor:  Audience members presenting subjects of their own interest

Raffle:  

Supper