[9] Leiopelma hamiltoni is a very small frog species, with males being even smaller than females.

[10] They have a row-like design down the back and sides of their body which are made up of callus-like glands in their skin.

[11] Hamilton's frog live only on a small rocky area on mammal-free Stephens Island in the Cook Strait.

[7] Leiopelma hamiltoni are typically found on the Stephens and Maud Islands, located in the Marlborough Sounds region of New Zealand.

Remains have been found at Waitoma, Hawkes Bay, and Wairarapa, which are all located on the North Island of New Zealand.

[15] Much of the island has been modified due to farming, forcing all the frogs to live in the same section of rainforest that remains.

[17] Leiopelma hamiltoni also live for an extremely long time, compared to other frog species.

The community of Leiopelma hamiltoni that live on Maud Island are not evenly distributed throughout the rainforests.

They typically live in much lower sections of the forest, around 300 meters above sea level, as there are more rocks and materials to hide in.

Hamilton's frogs are a terrestrial species and are typically found in the coastal rain forests on this island or in deep boulder banks.

They are nocturnal, so during the day they tend to reside in dark and damp crevices, which is why they are commonly found in and near boulder banks where they can hide under rocks and logs and stay deep under the canopy of the trees.

Juveniles with a snout-vent length of 20 mm or less lack teeth, and thus are required to eat soft-bodied arthropods like mites and fruit flies.

[20] Leiopelma hamiltoni are insectivores and feed solely on insects, including crickets, flies, moths, springtails, and other small bugs.

Their tongs are stuck to the top of their mouths, so they are unable to catch insects with their tongue like many other frog species do.

[7] Leiopelma hamiltoni breed in amplexus and fertilization takes place externally while the male and female frog are in contact with one another.

They lay their eggs in cool, moist, areas on land, typically in depressions under rocks and logs.

[22] This species of frog does not have any eardrums or earholes on the outside of its head, so they are unable to hear noises unless they are at an extremely low frequency.

Since they can't hear, they use the odors emitted from its feces in order to communicate with other members.

[11] The squeaks are suspected of coming from forced expulsion of air from their lungs when startled, as they have no true voice box.

This head-butting, accompanied with the striped glands along its back, are components of an anti-predator defense adapted by terrestrial species.

They will also emit a mal-tasting secretion from their granular glands if they are attacked to prevent a predator from eating it.

[11] Some predators of Leiopelma hamiltoni are New Zealand tuatara, which is a type of reptile, and black rats.

They are at risk due to increase in predators, as species like the black rat have been introduced to the island.

Conservationsists have tried translocating groups of these frogs to other areas, in hopes that they can prosper and reproduce in a different environment.

Because they may span a wide variety of vertical spaces, both tree and ground are vulnerable areas that are subject to change and endanger Hamilton's frogs.

[23] In August 2018 the Department of Conservation (DOC) classified the Hamilton's frog as Nationally Critical under the New Zealand Threat Classification System.