This new app is like Shazam for frogs
Hear a ribbit? There's an app for that.
Launched on Nov. 10, FrogID is an iOS and Android app that can identify local frog species by the sound they make.
Chirps, ribbits, peeps, whistles, and croaks heard in backyards, creeks and wetlands can be recorded and uploaded to the app. Then, FrogID, currently only available in Australia, can identify the particular frog species you've found while "frogging."
Developed by the Australian Museum in partnership with IBM, FrogID isn't just a Shazam for frogs, though. The app has been designed to help identify different frog species across Australia, and map where they are most at risk from climate change, habitat loss, disease, and urbanisation.
“FrogID will mobilise citizen scientists to help protect threatened species of frogs across the country," said Kim McKay AO, Australian Museum director and CEO. "It is vital to our environment that we understand where our frogs are at risk and how to protect them before it is too late."
Currently, Australia has 240 species of frog, a large portion of which are threatened — not to mention the four species that have become extinct.
Each logged frog has its own profile -- with in-depth facts about its conservation status, calling period, and breeding biology -- in a bid to educate folks on their fellow creatures.
The app is the key tool for Australia’s first national frog count, a project run by the Australian Museum’s Centre for Citizen Science, with support from the Australian government’s Citizen Science Grants and IBM’s Impact Grants program.
“Frogs are a tipping point in the environment — as one of the first animal species to feel the impact of changes in climate and habitat, their health is a key indicator of how our environment is changing," said Dr. Jodi Rowley, curator of amphibian and reptile conservation biology at the Australian Museum and UNSW.
"It’s crucial that we understand and protect our frogs. FrogID will allow us to make informed conservation decisions aimed at saving our frogs. But we need the public to play their part, so we can track and understand our many frog species across this vast country."
Plans for global expansion of the app haven't been announced, so for now, the app will work with natural science museums from Australian states and territories to collate the data and develop conservation strategies.
Get froggin', Australia.
Topics Animals Apps & Software Sustainability
Shannon Connellan is Mashable's UK Editor based in London, formerly Mashable's Australia Editor, but emotionally, she lives in the Creel House. A Tomatometer-approved critic, Shannon writes about entertainment, tech, social good, science, culture, and Australian horror.
