Myobatrachus gouldii

Myobatrachus gouldii
Myobatrachus gouldii
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Amphibia
Order:	Anura
Family:	Myobatrachidae
Genus:	Myobatrachus Schlegel in J. E. Gray, 1841 or 1850
Species:	M. gouldii
Binomial name
Myobatrachus gouldii (Gray, 1841)

Myobatrachus gouldii, the turtle frog is an Western Australian frog, and the only species in the genus Myobatrachus. It has a small head, and short limbs, but a round body, up to 45 millimetres (1.8 in) long.^[1]

The turtle frog is found in between Geraldton and Fitzgerald River in the Perth region, Western Australia.^[2] This area is mainly semi arid, so the frogs have adapted to suit this region. They have developed short muscular limbs to help them dig into the sand, but unlike most frogs they dig forwards, like a turtle, not backwards. It feeds on termites so the adaptation of the muscular limbs is useful when trying to break into a termite mound.

References

1. ^ "Australian Frog Database: Myobatrachus gouldii". Frogs Australia Network. 2005-02-23. http://frogsaustralia.net.au/frogs/display.cfm?frog_id=52. 
2. ^ "FrogWatch :: Turtle Frog". Frogwatch.museum.wa.gov.au. http://frogwatch.museum.wa.gov.au/Southwest/SwanCoastalPlain/435.aspx. Retrieved 2011-07-18. 

External links

Data related to Myobatrachus at Wikispecies Media related to Myobatrachus gouldii at Wikimedia Commons