Members of this family vary greatly in size, from species less than 1.5 cm (0.59 in) long, to the second-largest frog in Australia, the giant barred frog (Mixophyes iteratus), at 12 cm (4.7 in) in length.

The family Myobatrachidae contains forms of parental care unique in the animal kingdom.

The male will guard the eggs until hatching, and assist the tadpoles into its side, where they stay until metamorphosis.

While many species are adapted to burrowing, helping them survive in semiarid or seasonally arid environments, the turtle frog and sandhill frog go so far as to lay their eggs directly into moist sand several feet below the surface, rather than into water.

These species lack tadpoles, with the eggs hatching directly into miniature frogs.