Zoo’s frogs wake from winter brumation looking like Muppets

By Dean Murray

A zoo has said its "army of amphibians" are waking up from a kind of natural standby mode – looking like Muppet characters.

Australia's Healesville Sanctuary has shared scenes of its frogs rousing from their winter slumber to enjoy the slightly longer and warmer days ahead.

Meg Lane, threatened species keeper, said: "Spring has finally sprung, which means our frog species are exiting their winter period.

"They've been in a state called brumation when it's cold which means they are less active and we don't see them."

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The frog species the sanctuary looks after are alpine and sub-alpine species, so where they live in the wild it gets cold, even getting snow cover on top of their habitats.

Lane added: "To survive the winter months, frogs must brumate. Their metabolism will slow down. They won't eat and they won't really be doing much for months. They tuck themselves away so they can conserve their energy."

The sanctuary said in a release: "Yellow and black Corroboree Frogs are starting to wiggle their toes, Spotted Tree Frogs are peeping out from behind leaves and the Giant Burrowing Frogs are emerging from rocky substrate with pebbles on their heads like Jim Henson's Fraggle Rock characters."

Taking their cues from the outside world, zookeepers have been adjusting the frogs' climate-controlled habitats to match seasonal outdoor temperatures before offering the animals their first meal and conducting weight checks.

Southern Corroboree Frogs and Spotted Tree Frogs are classified as Critically Endangered, while Southern Giant Burrowing Frogs are classified as Vulnerable.