![\"Hochstetter's](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/4KJV5C2_Hochstetter_s_frog_with_Harness_Photo_Tobia_Dale_jpeg.jpeg\")
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\nA Hochstetter’s frog with a transmitter.
\nPhoto: Tobia Dale\n<\/p>\n
In a bid to learn more about one of New Zealand’s smallest frogs, researchers have come up with a novel way of tracking them.<\/p>\n
The Hochstetter’s frog measure three-to-four-centimetres, and researchers developed tiny backpacks that are perfect for the native frogs.<\/p>\n
Associate Professor Stephanie Godfrey supervised the study which took place in the Coromandel, and told Checkpoint the backpacks contained transmitters that weighed 0.5 of a gram, and were tricky to get on.<\/p>\n
“It’s a matter of very gently trying to just wrap the little harness around their waists and then tighten it gently with a cotton thread.<\/p>\n
“We use tiny backpacks because they are tiny frogs.”<\/p>\n
The study shed some light on the movement of the endangered frogs, and was the first time such research had been carried out due to the challenge of finding transmitters that are small enough.<\/p>\n
![\"Hochstetter's](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/4KJW6U2_Hochstetter_s_frog_with_tracker_in_Stream_bank_retreat_Photo_Tobia_Dale_jpeg.jpeg\"){kind=tracking}
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\nThe frogs like living in creek banks.
\nPhoto: Tobia Dale\n<\/p>\n
“It’s been really hard to get good insights into their movements because it’s hard to track a tiny frog.”<\/p>\n
But even though the frogs are tiny, they are still susceptible to a common human problem.<\/p>\n
“The main thing we noticed is that they did develop these little small abrasions just around their hip joints where the harnesses were resting… a little bit of chafe.” Godfrey said.<\/p>\n
But overall, Godfrey said the frogs did “did pretty well with the backpacks”.<\/p>\n
The transmitters had a “pretty short” battery life, but Godfrey said the longest they managed to track a frog was 16 days.<\/p>\n
![\"Hochstetter](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/4KK3ZPB_Hochstetter_in_retreat_site_Photo_Tobia_Dale_JPG.jpeg\")
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\nThe frogs also like living under rocks.
\nPhoto: Tobia Dale\n<\/p>\n
But they were able to record some interesting movements.<\/p>\n
“We saw that their biggest movement during the period of our study was almost 17 metres, which is a long way for a three-to-four-centimetre frog.”<\/p>\n
The researchers also found out more about their habitat and where they like to live.<\/p>\n
“We found that they like living in banks of sort of creek banks. They like living under rocks and they tend to sort of stick around the same place for a while before getting up and moving elsewhere.”<\/p>\n
The research will help with the protection of the frogs in the future.<\/p>\n
“The main reason for collecting this data is to try and just understand a bit more about how much space they need when we’re protecting them. So when things like developments are happening or we want to translocate them.<\/p>\n
![\"Using](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/4KJV6G3_Using_radio_reciever_to_find_frogs_with_trackers_photo_Katie_Ryan_jpeg.jpeg\"){kind=tracking}
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\nThe researchers used radio receivers to find the frogs with trackers.
\nPhoto: Katie Ryan\n<\/p>\n
“It’s really important to know what habitat they’re using, how far they move, so that we can put in measures to protect them and ensure there’s sufficient habitat and of the right type.”<\/p>\n
Godfrey said there are even smaller trackers, that weigh 0.17 of a gram, and would allow the frogs to wear the harness for longer, and was hopeful more research could be carried out on the frog’s movements.<\/p>\n
“The goal of improving the way the backpacks sit on these frogs is to enable us to track them for longer. They tend to sit tight in the same place for a long time. If we only track them for a week or two weeks, we might not fully capture the entire area that they’re using.”<\/p>\n