Protecting Hamilton’s frogs from predatory tuatara!
Sometimes even native species need to be protected from one another – such is the case with the Hamilton’s frog!
New Zealand Native Frogs
Conservation news about New Zealand’s native frogs.
Aotearoa New Zealand is home to three endemic frogs / pepeketua that are found nowhere else in the world! Auckland Zoo supports research and conservation efforts for two of these – the Archey’s frog and Hamilton’s frog.
Auckland Zoo is the only organisation in New Zealand to care for Archey’s frogs outside of the wild, and the more we learn about what these native frogs need within the Zoo, the more we understand how to conserve them in the wild.
Archey’s frogs are the smallest of New Zealand’s frogs (growing up to only 37 mm) and survive naturally in just two forested areas of the North Island. Each year, our ectotherm keepers head to Pureora Forest to survey this translocated population, working alongside the Department of Conservation and iwi to survey the frogs. These surveys help to build up a robust dataset so conservationists can understand whether populations are growing and stable, and if predator control is working.
Hamilton’s frogs are larger but even rarer than the Archey’s frog, and only a few thousand of these frogs exist. Today, they’re naturally found on only two Marlborough Sounds islands: Takapourewa/Stephen’s Island and on Te Pākeka/Maud Island. Auckland Zoo has been helping Ngāti Koata and DOC with a project to increase the number of frogs on Takapourewa.
Read more in our native frog conservation stories below.
Together we’re helping some of world’s most endangered amphibians
Zoo announces grants in honour of champion of amphibian conservation
Back from the Brink – 11 Inspirational Stories where Conservation is Key!
Coordinating fieldwork conservation at Auckland Zoo
Conserving the Archey's frog - a rare Aotearoa amphibian
