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The Frog Finder

By Rory Callinan/Brisbane

The frog that bit Richards was found in a remote area.

It was just after midnight when Stephen Richards heard a strange, melodious whistle amid the patter of rain in the Papua New Guinea cloud forest. Papua New Guinea is a country on the eastern half of the island of New Guinea, which lies north of Australia. Richards, 44, knows the terrain and its creatures well, but the sound he heard was completely new. "When I heard this, I knew it was going to be fantastic," he says.

Richards moved carefully through thorny vines toward the sound. After an hour of searching, he found the source: a "warty brown blob." When he gently took hold of the blob, it bit him on he hand. "I was shocked," he says. "Frogs don't normally bite you." The animal's bite, along with its unique cry and strange appearance, told Richards he had discovered a new species. It was an exhilarating moment. But to Richards, who is a zoologist with the South Australian Museum, in Adelaide, Australia, it was also another day at work. Listen to the warty brown blob frog

Richards believes he has discovered almost 100 frogs. He has managed to scientifically classify and name 30. Another 70 must be studied carefully before they can be classified as new species. Listen to this newly-discovered unnamed male frog

In Kikori's rainforest, an unnamed male frog tends eggs laid in hollowed-out vines.

Frogs are threatened by habitat destruction, disease and predators. Richards believes recording the amphibians is vitally important. As for the blob that bit him, Richards has not classified and named it yet. But you can bet it will have a name that fits its snappy temperament. "I like a frog with attitude," he says.

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