Wildlifeof New Zealand
Southern Bell Frog
Introduced Frogs
Photo: Mike Dickison · CC BY-SA 4.0
Ranoidea raniformis
Basic stats
Habitat
Ponds, swamps, streams, ditches and wet farmland
Range
Widely introduced (not Rakiura)
Size
Males up to 65 mm; females at least 100 mm; weight up to 50 g
The southern bell frog is New Zealand’s largest and most frequently encountered introduced frog. Its green and bronze-brown back is warty and has a pale central stripe; this rough skin separates it from the smoother green and golden bell frog.
Introduced in Canterbury in the late 1860s, it was spread widely through New Zealand apart from Rakiura/Stewart Island. It gives a deep rasping growl and eats beetles, slugs, earthworms, freshwater animals, frogs and small lizards.
Ponds and wetlands throughout much of New Zealand are productive, particularly on warm evenings during calling.
Quick answers
- What habitat does the Southern Bell Frog live in?
- Ponds, swamps, streams, ditches and wet farmland
- Where is the Southern Bell Frog found?
- Widely introduced (not Rakiura)
- How big is the Southern Bell Frog?
- Males up to 65 mm; females at least 100 mm; weight up to 50 g