Animal
White's tree frog
White's tree frog is a big, plump green frog from Australia and New Guinea. It has sticky toe pads, and it sometimes lives in people's houses!
White's tree frog, called the green tree frog in Australia, is a large, chubby frog from northern and eastern Australia and New Guinea. Big sticky pads on its fingers and toes help it climb, and it often moves into gardens, water tanks and even bathrooms. It is common and not in danger.
Ranoidea (also known as Litoria) caerulea is a large tree frog of Australia and New Guinea that tolerates a broad range of habitats, from dry woodland to houses. It lays clumps of hundreds to thousands of eggs on still water, is common in the pet trade, and is listed as Least Concern, though chytrid fungus, urban growth and collecting are concerns.
Photo: Llez, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Meet White's tree frog
This is White's tree frog.
It is a big, chubby green frog with a white tummy. It has golden eyes and big, round pads on its toes. Some people call it the dumpy tree frog!
In Australia, people simply call White's tree frog the green tree frog. It is a large frog, up to about 11 centimeters long, with a plump green back, sometimes dotted with small white spots, and a white belly.
Its eyes are gold with a pupil that lies sideways, which is unusual for a tree frog. Its fingers and toes end in big, round sticky pads. Some frogs are blue-green, and in the north some have yellow on their feet.
This frog has been placed in the genus Litoria and, more recently, in Ranoidea; the IUCN keeps Litoria caerulea, the name used in Australian lists and field guides. It is a large tree frog: the Australian Museum gives a body length of up to 11 centimeters, and Belfast Zoo gives 5 to 10 centimeters and 50 to 90 grams, with females slightly larger (Utica Zoo).
The back is green, sometimes with small white spots, the belly white, the iris gold and the pupil horizontal. Fingers and toes are about three-quarters webbed with large adhesive discs. Coloration varies: inland New South Wales frogs can be blue-green, some northern populations have yellow on the hands and feet, and Belfast Zoo notes that color shifts somewhat with mood.
Quick facts
- Group
- Amphibian
- Length
- 0.05 to 0.11 m
- Weight
- 0.05 to 0.09 kg
- Lifespan in the wild
- 16 years
Where it lives
White's tree frogs live in Australia and New Guinea.
They live in trees, near ponds, and sometimes in people's gardens and houses!
White's tree frogs live across northern and eastern Australia, from the Kimberley in Western Australia through the Northern Territory and Queensland to New South Wales and the northeast corner of South Australia. They also live in the lowlands of New Guinea, in both Indonesia and Papua New Guinea.
They can live in many places: dry forests and woodlands, grasslands, and near streams and swamps, hiding in tree hollows and rock cracks. They also love buildings, turning up in mailboxes, water tanks, bathrooms and even toilet bowls!
The IUCN describes the species as widespread from the Kimberley region of Western Australia through most of the Northern Territory and all of Queensland, south to the Darling River in New South Wales and the northeast corner of South Australia, including offshore islands such as Melville, Bathurst, Groote and the Torres Strait Islands. In New Guinea it occurs at scattered lowland sites below 200 meters in Indonesia and Papua New Guinea.
In Australia it uses dry forest and woodland, grassland and shrubland (but rarely wet forest), often far from water, sheltering in tree hollows and rock crevices. It readily occupies human structures, including letterboxes, toilet cisterns, bathrooms and meter boxes, and in New Guinea it lives in open monsoon forest and around rural gardens and houses.
Continent
Its habitat
Where can you find this animal?
- Lives here naturally · Countries and seas named by a scientific source
- Sightings recorded · Records of wild sightings (GBIF)
Lives here naturally · Countries and seas named by a scientific source
Northern and eastern Australia (Western Australia's Kimberley, the Northern Territory, Queensland, northern and central New South Wales and northeastern South Australia) and scattered lowland sites in New Guinea, in both Papua New Guinea and the Indonesian province of Papua. The frogs live in only part of each country shown.
Places: Australia, Papua New Guinea and Indonesia.
Source: iucn-red-list · checked October 2026
Sightings recorded · Records of wild sightings (GBIF)
Counts of GBIF records of wild observations (human and machine) and preserved specimens. Records include introduced populations, vagrants, escaped or released animals and misidentifications, so a country with records is not necessarily part of the native range.
Wild sightings have been recorded in Australia, Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, United States, New Zealand, China, Canada, Germany and 3 more places.
Source: gbif · checked October 2026
Range maps show where scientists say an animal lives, often country by country. An animal may live in only part of a country shown, and sightings records can include animals that wandered far from home.
What it eats
White's tree frogs eat bugs, like crickets and grasshoppers.
They catch them with their big mouths. Once in a while they eat a small mouse or another frog.
White's tree frogs are hunters that eat mostly insects and other small creatures, such as locusts, crickets and other invertebrates.
They are big frogs with big mouths, and once in a while they eat larger prey, such as other small frogs or even small rodents.
The diet is mainly insects and other invertebrates, such as locusts and crickets; Utica Zoo notes that these large frogs may rarely take small amphibians or rodents.
Tadpoles are free-swimming and grow to nearly 7 centimeters long before metamorphosis, according to the Australian Museum.
Did you know?
This frog wraps itself in slime to stay moist.
In dry times, White's tree frogs cover themselves in thick mucus to keep from drying out while they hide.
A thick mucus coating reduces water loss during dry periods, helping the species live far from water.
An amazing body
White's tree frogs have big sticky pads on their toes.
The pads help them climb and hold on to all sorts of things. Their skin stays moist and slippery.
The big round pads on a White's tree frog's fingers and toes are sticky cling pads: together with its webbed feet, they let the frog stick to most surfaces, from tree trunks to smooth walls. Strong legs help it jump from branch to branch.
Its skin is amazing too. In the dry season the frog can cover itself in a thick layer of mucus to hold in moisture while it hides until the rains return. Scientists have even studied substances in its skin because they can fight some germs.
Large adhesive discs on fingers and toes, together with partial webbing, let it cling to most surfaces, while strong hind legs power jumps between branches. The horizontal pupil is unusual among tree frogs, and the round tympanum behind the eye is clearly visible.
Utica Zoo notes two skin adaptations: in dry periods the frog coats itself in thick mucus to reduce water loss while sheltering, and its skin secretions have antibacterial and antiviral properties that researchers have investigated for medicines. Belfast Zoo adds that its color can change somewhat with mood.
Growing up
In summer, after rain, the daddy frogs call.
The mother lays lots and lots of eggs in a pond. The eggs hatch into tadpoles, and the tadpoles turn into little frogs.
White's tree frogs breed in the warm, wet months of spring and summer. Males call from near water, sometimes from drainpipes. Females lay clumps of 200 to 2,000 eggs on the surface of still water, in places like flooded ditches and temporary ponds.
The eggs float at first and sink within a day. The brownish tadpoles swim through the water and can grow nearly 7 centimeters long. After about six weeks, or longer where it is cold, they change into small frogs and climb out.
In Australia breeding runs from about November to February. Males call near water, often from downpipes, and females deposit clumps of 200 to 2,000 eggs on the surface of still water in flooded ditches and temporary ponds; the spawn sinks within 24 hours.
Tadpoles are dusky brown and free-swimming, reaching nearly 7 centimeters in total length. The IUCN gives development as usually complete in about six weeks, while the Australian Museum says at least a month and much longer in colder areas. In captivity these frogs can live a long time; Utica Zoo gives an average of 16 years.
Calm, chubby climbers
White's tree frogs climb and hide in trees and rock cracks.
After rain they come out, and you might see them crossing roads or sitting by ponds.
White's tree frogs spend much of their time in trees, tree hollows and rock cracks, often away from water. After rain they become very active: in some places they are found in almost every roadside pond or seen crossing roads.
They are famous for moving in with people. They turn up in water tanks and bathrooms, and males often call from downpipes.
The species is arboreal and largely tolerant of dry conditions, sheltering in hollows and crevices and emerging after rain; in the Kimberley it is so abundant that it turns up in nearly every roadside pond after rain events. It commonly uses tree hollows around Darwin.
Males call near water, frequently from downpipes and other structures. Suburban life brings risks, though, from pollution and from cats and dogs.
Did you know?
A mother frog can lay thousands of eggs.
A female White's tree frog lays a clump of 200 to 2,000 eggs on still water.
Clumps of 200 to 2,000 eggs are laid on the water surface and sink within 24 hours.
Helping White's tree frogs
There are lots of White's tree frogs.
But pet cats and dogs, dirty water and a frog sickness can hurt them. Keeping ponds clean helps.
White's tree frogs are common, and the IUCN lists them as Least Concern. Still, they have some problems. Near towns, pollution and pet cats and dogs can harm them, and building new houses takes away their habitat on the coast.
A disease caused by the chytrid fungus has made some frogs sick. Many frogs are also collected for the pet trade: in Australia people need a permit to keep frogs, and in 2002 Indonesia exported about 75,000 of them.
The IUCN assessed the species as Least Concern in 2021 (published 2022), citing its wide distribution, broad habitat tolerance and presumed large, stable population. Threats it lists include pollution and predation by cats and dogs in suburbs, chytridiomycosis caused by the fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, habitat loss to coastal urban expansion, and over-collection for the Australian and international pet trade; 75,000 frogs were exported from Indonesia in 2002.
Juveniles are sometimes carried accidentally in fresh produce, a possible route for disease. The species occurs in several protected areas, Australia requires permits to keep frogs, and it has been bred at some Australian zoos. The IUCN calls for rules to keep chytrid out of New Guinea and for better data on wild harvest there.
IUCN Red List
How is the white's tree frog doing in the wild?
- Least Concern (this animal)
- Near Threatened
- Vulnerable
- Endangered
- Critically Endangered
- Extinct in the Wild
- Extinct
Least Concern
Not at risk of disappearing from the wild right now.
See the IUCN Red List assessment · The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2020.1
Amazing facts
-
These frogs have been found in toilets!
White's tree frogs turn up in mailboxes, water tanks, bathrooms and even toilet bowls.
The IUCN lists letterboxes, toilet bowls and cisterns, bathrooms and meter boxes among the human structures the species uses.
-
A mother frog can lay thousands of eggs.
A female White's tree frog lays a clump of 200 to 2,000 eggs on still water.
Clumps of 200 to 2,000 eggs are laid on the water surface and sink within 24 hours.
-
This frog wraps itself in slime to stay moist.
In dry times, White's tree frogs cover themselves in thick mucus to keep from drying out while they hide.
A thick mucus coating reduces water loss during dry periods, helping the species live far from water.
-
Its skin may help make medicines.
Substances from White's tree frog skin can fight some germs, and scientists have studied them for medicines.
Skin secretions with antibacterial and antiviral properties have been investigated for pharmaceutical use.
Words to know
- toe pad
- a wide, sticky pad at the tip of a frog's toe that helps it climb
- pupil
- the black opening in the middle of the eye that lets light in
- mucus
- a slimy layer that keeps skin moist
- tadpole
- a young frog that lives in water and has a tail
- arboreal
- living in trees
- chytrid fungus
- a tiny fungus that can make frogs very sick
Discovery challenge
-
What helps White's tree frogs climb?
Which body part helps White's tree frog cling to trees and smooth surfaces?
Which structures let White's tree frog cling to smooth surfaces?
- Feathers
- Big sticky toe pads
- A long tail
Show the answer
Big sticky toe pads
Big sticky toe pads help it hold on.
The large round pads on its fingers and toes stick to most surfaces.
Large adhesive discs on the partly webbed fingers and toes.
-
Where do White's tree frogs live?
Where do wild White's tree frogs live?
Which describes the native range of White's tree frog?
- Australia and New Guinea
- Iceland
- The Sahara Desert
Show the answer
Australia and New Guinea
They live in Australia and New Guinea.
Northern and eastern Australia and the lowlands of New Guinea.
Northern and eastern Australia and scattered lowland sites in New Guinea below 200 meters.
-
Where might you find one of these frogs?
Which of these places have White's tree frogs been found in?
Which human structure does the IUCN list as used by this species?
- A bathroom
- An airplane wing
- The top of a snowy mountain
Show the answer
A bathroom
They have been found in bathrooms, and even toilets!
They turn up in bathrooms, mailboxes, water tanks and meter boxes.
Bathrooms, along with letterboxes, toilet cisterns and meter boxes.
-
How do these frogs stay moist when it is dry?
How do White's tree frogs survive dry times?
Which adaptation reduces water loss in White's tree frog during dry periods?
- They drink seawater
- They cover themselves in thick slime and hide
- They grow fur
Show the answer
They cover themselves in thick slime and hide
They wrap themselves in slime and hide until it rains.
They coat themselves in thick mucus to hold in moisture and hide until the wet season.
A thick mucus coating reduces evaporation while the frog shelters.
Places where you might see it
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Watch
Country
Australia
Australia is a country and the smallest continent, surrounded by ocean in the Southern Hemisphere. Much of its middle is dry and flat, most people live near the coast, and its animals include kangaroos, koalas and the platypus, a mammal that lays eggs.
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Watch
Country
Indonesia
Indonesia is a country of about 17,500 islands in Southeast Asia, spread across the Equator between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It has more than 100 active volcanoes, rainforests full of wildlife, and about 286 million people (2025).
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For parents & teachers
What children will learn
- Describe how toe pads and strong legs help a tree frog climb and jump.
- Explain how White's tree frogs survive dry periods.
- Describe the frog life cycle from egg clump to froglet.
- Name threats to frogs near towns and ways people can help.
Recommended ages: 3 to 17 · About 12 minutes
Talk about it
- Why might a cool, damp bathroom or water tank appeal to a frog?
- Why might laying so many eggs help a frog whose tadpoles live in temporary ponds?
- What could families do to make gardens safer for frogs?
Try at home or in class
- Slide a small toy down a tilted tray, then put a little sticky tape on its feet and try again: talk about how a tree frog's sticky toe pads help it hold on.
- Measure 11 centimeters on a ruler to see how big a large White's tree frog can be, and compare it with your hand.
Key vocabulary: toe pad, pupil, mucus, tadpole, arboreal, chytrid fungus
Where these facts come from
- The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species , International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN terms of use (no redistribution of Red List data or range maps))
- GBIF Backbone Taxonomy and GBIF Occurrence Search , Global Biodiversity Information Facility (CC0 1.0 (backbone); occurrence counts are facts derived from records under CC0, CC BY and CC BY-NC)
- Litoria caerulea (Green Tree Frog), Red List assessment 2021 , IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
- Green Tree Frog , Australian Museum
- White's tree frog , Belfast Zoo
- White's Tree Frogs , Utica Zoo
- Wikidata , Wikimedia Foundation (CC0 1.0)
- Wikimedia Commons , Wikimedia Foundation (Per file: Public domain, CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA only (credited on each page))
Checked, not yet human-reviewed. Last updated October 27, 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.