Southern Bell Frog (Ranoidea raniformis)

The Southern Bell Frog (Ranoidea raniformis) is an introduced species in New Zealand, originally brought here from Tasmania in the late 1860s. It is now widespread in both the North and South Islands and is often found around ponds, wetlands, and damp areas near forest edges.

This is one of New Zealand’s largest frogs and is usually recognised by its green and bronze colouring and warty body.
Bell frogs can have mixed effects on local ecosystems. They are active predators and may impact small native fauna, including lizards and endemic frogs such as Archey’s frog, but they can also become a food source for wetland birds such as herons, bitterns, and pūkeko.

For more observations you can check out my iNaturalist.

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