Amphibians have been around for 360 million years, but now they're disappearing - here's how you can help them survive

But this week actually is Amphibian Week. So Kaya, of University of Newcastle's Conservation Biology Research Group, wanted to tell us about these creatures.

So over to you, Kaya.

The lives of amphibians are often very secret to us. They are small animals that often live in deep leaf litter on the forest floor, or camouflaged among green leaves in the canopy. They could be tucked away in the thick reeds at the edge of a stream or pond, or they could be buried underground - waiting for a good soaking of rain to encourage them to the surface.

To see salamanders, newts or caecilians, you will have to travel to the Americas or Europe. In Australia, the only amphibians we have are frogs. We have around 240 species.

As frogs tend to be small and nocturnal, they're much more likely to be heard than seen. But frogs don't call all the time and not all frogs call. It is only mature male frogs that make the typical, repetitive call that alert us to their presence. And what they're saying when they make this call is, "Ladies! Ladies! I'm over here, ladies!" Frog calls are actually mating calls.

The reason frogs are so cryptic and hard to find is because they make a tasty snack for a wide range of animals. Many birds, snakes, lizards and some small omnivorous mammals will readily eat frogs. Some frogs, however, have developed a different strategy. They come out during the day to show off their bright colouration. These frogs, often called poison dart frogs, do not make good snacks, and their colouration warns predators that they are in fact poisonous and unpalatable.

Amphibians are older than dinosaurs. They were the first vertebrates to crawl from water onto land around 360 million years ago. They've been so successful at this aquatic/terrestrial lifestyle, that their form has persisted relatively unchanged this whole time. However, this incredibly long history has given amphibians a lot of time to develop huge diversity that allows them to thrive in almost all environments apart from Antarctica. Lots of frogs live in forests and wetlands, but some frogs also live in lakes where they spend all their time underwater; in alpine areas where they freeze solid in winter and then thaw out in spring; and in deserts where they can stay cocooned underground for years before they are awoken by heavy rain. There are also axolotls that live deep in caves and are now blind because they never see light.

The reason we are so concerned about amphibians is because they are declining rapidly due to a wide range of threats. Widespread clearing of forests and freshwater wetlands is destroying their habitats. Many introduced, invasive fish are eating their tadpoles. They are sensitive to water pollution caused by agricultural or industrial run-off. They are very sensitive to climate change and extreme climate events such as droughts and wildfires. And they have been badly affected by the amphibian fungal disease, which has caused populations to crash all around the world and even led to the extinction of at least four Australian frog species. Due to the intense pressure from all these threats, these animals - which have outlived the dinosaurs - are now disappearing faster than any other group of animals.

There are over 20 species of frog in the Hunter region. These range from the common and widespread green tree frog, which are common in people's house pipes or dunnies, to the common striped marsh frog, which makes a distinct "tock" call at many local water bodies. Then there are Peron's tree frogs - a beautiful brown species - which can often be heard by their cackling laugh of a call. And there are ornate burrowing frogs, which are fairly small, quiet frogs and highly variable in their patterning, but well camouflaged among pebbles or sandy soils. There are the green and golden bell frogs - an iconic threatened species which have received a lot of conservation attention in the region after their sharp decline caused by the amphibian fungal disease.

And there is also a small grey frog with bright orange armpits that was only discovered four years ago and is endemic to the Hunter - occurring nowhere else on Earth. This species was named Mahony's toadlet in honour of the University of Newcastle frog expert, Professor Michael Mahony.

Most amphibians that people see in the Hunter are common species that are still maintaining stable populations. However, the green and golden bell frog is under constant threat from disease as there is no known cure. Mahony's toadlet is listed as endangered because there are so few sites where it occurs, making it vulnerable.

To help amphibians, use the Australian Museum's citizen science app, FrogID, to record when you hear frogs calling. Build a frog pond, free of fish, with good shelter plants to provide breeding habitat. Limit pesticides in gardens and keep cats and dogs indoors at night.

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