Myobatrachus gouldii | |
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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 a Western Australian frog and the only species in the genus Myobatrachus. It has a small head, short limbs, and a round body, up to 45 millimetres (1.8 in) long.
The turtle frog is found in between Geraldton and Fitzgerald River in the Perth region, Western Australia. 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 forward, like a turtle. They feed on termites so the adaptation of the muscular limbs is useful when trying to penetrate a termite mound.