Australian Toadlets and Water Frogs: Myobatrachidae

Most of the Australian toadlets and water frogs are either small, slender creatures with long hind legs or tiny toads with short hind legs. Those members of the family that burrow head first, like the turtle frog, usually have powerful front legs and snouts that are tough, like the callous on a person's hand, while those that burrow hind end first, such as the northern toadlet, typically have hard bumps, called tubercles (TOO-ber-kulz), on their back feet to help them dig.

Overall, the Australian toadlets and water frogs range from 0.6 to 3.1 inches (1.6 to 7.9 centimeters) long from snout to rump, but the majority are on the smaller side. Typically, the frogs in this family are gray or brown, but often have brighter colored patches of skin that appear when they lift their front or back legs. Some, however, have bold colors all over their bodies. The Corroboree frog, for instance, is black and vivid yellow or green, while the sunset frog is covered in orange, red, and blue.