Bright colors and captivating calls are just the start with some of Earth’s most amazing species. Frogs can turn nearly invisible, leap more than 20 times their body length, and defend themselves with poison. We go on assignment with conservation biologist and National Geographic Explorer Jodi Rowley to discover all kinds of incredible abilities and springy biodiversity.

Jodi Rowley is a National Geographic Explorer and conservation biologist. She is the curator of amphibian and reptile conservation biology at the Australian Museum and a conjoint associate professor at The University of New South Wales (UNSW) Sydney. Rowley’s research seeks to uncover and document biodiversity and inform conservation decisions, and she also has a passion for communicating biodiversity conservation. Rowley completed her Ph.D. on rainforest frog ecology and conservation at James Cook University. Rowley has led dozens of expeditions in search of amphibians in Australasia and co-discovered 40 frog species new to science. She is the lead scientist of FrogID, a national citizen science project developed by the Australian Museum that has engaged tens of thousands of people across the continent to collect over 1.4 million records of frogs across Australia. Rowley was named one of “100 Inspiring Australians” by Qantas in 2020, and 2023 Field Leader in Zoology by The Australian’s Research Magazine. She has one snake and two frog species from Southeast Asia named in her honor.