These streams are always located in un-disturbed forests as any silt that gets in the stream can kill the eggs and tadpoles. With the help of their teacher and biologists, they trapped and counted 2 adults and 164 tadpoles over a few days. This information they took to the municipal council to alert developers of their presence. Decisions are still pending. Should this area be developed, the Tailed Frog may disappear because they need clean un-silted water to lay eggs and grow healthy tadpoles.
Silt stops the passage of oxygen to the developing egg yolk and into the gills of tadpoles.
Even a small disturbance in the stream can affect the population for a long time because they take so long to mature. In the autumn, the bumps on the sides and arms of the males thicken up and more bumps appear on the sides of the chest under the arms. This shows the females that the males are ready to breed. The eggs are not laid until the following summer when they are laid in long bead-like strings attached to the undersides of rocks so they won't be carried away by fast moving water. The eggs hatch in late August, and the tadpoles are easy to identify since they are the only local tadpole to have a white spot at the tip of their tail.