A new app can identify a frog by its croak and show its habitat
QUEENSLAND scientists have developed a “ribbiting” app that can identify a frog by its croak and shows what species can be found where.
QUEENSLAND scientists have developed a “ribbiting” app that can identify a frog by its croak and shows what species can be found where.
The Frogs of Australia — eGuide features descriptions, location maps, call sounds and photographs for nearly all of Australia’s 238 known frog species.
James Cook University biologist Dr Conrad Hoskin said the frog spotting app, which took three years to create, was released last week and was already proving popular on iTunes.
“There are a lot of people who like frogs,” he told AAP.
“They are cute little creatures and there is a lot more interest and familiarity with frogs these days.”
The app has been designed for anyone with an interest in frogs, from schoolchildren to researchers.
Dr Hoskin said apps were the future of electronic field guides as they were more mobile, cheaper and easier to navigate than textbook versions.
PhD student Stewart MacDonald, who helped create the app, said a lot of work went into developing the electronic guides.
“Field guides are really only useful if they’re comprehensive and ours is the only app that covers all currently described frog species,” he said.
“We will be constantly updating the app as new frog data comes in, and an Android version is currently in development.”