Water Economy of the Burrowing Frog, Heleioporus eyrei (Gray)

southwestern Australia, occurs in a region experiencing hot arid summers. Under these circumstances, frogs usually avoid severe loss of water by remaining in soil-filled burrows (Main et al., 1959), but H. eyrei differs in that it is often observed foraging at night during this season. Although frogs lose water readily through the skin, this disadvantage may be offset by a high body water content, an additional store of water in the urinary bladder, a remarkable capacity to withstand dehydration, and an ability to absorb water rapidly through the skin (Bentley, 1966). Here I have examined aspects of the water economy of H. eyrei to see how this frog avoids severe dehydration.