Although Main’s frog is considered to be a common species (5), it is only seen during the summer wet season (2). This species emerges from the ground en masse to breed following heavy rains (3) (5). A female Main’s frog produces 200 to 1,000 eggs each year, depositing them directly into temporary pools of water that form during rainfall. The tadpoles develop quickly before the water dries up (3).
As water pools shrink, Main’s frog digs a burrow into the ground (3), where it becomes dormant (6). The frog will survive in this state of torpor for a long time, until the next heavy rains (7). Like the other water-holding frogs of Australia, Main’s frog is able to retain large quantities of water within its body when burrowed under the ground, allowing it to survive during periods of drought. It does this by burrowing below the ground and creating a cocoon around its body by shedding its outer layer of skin. Water then builds up inside the cocoon but is unable to evaporate (8).
Main’s frog primarily feeds on insects (3), such as ants and termites, which are abundant during the summer wet season (2).