This species is found in sparsely timbered savannah, sclerophyll woodland and grassland on clay soils. It spends most of its life buried underground and emerges only after heavy rain when it can be found on low-lying swampy ground, which remains saturated after rain. It is an explosive breeder after heavy rains in shallow flooded areas. Males call whilst floating in water and their bodies are inflated with air from their distended lungs. About 500–1,400 eggs are laid in long chains tangled in submerged vegetation. Tadpoles hatch and complete their development in eight weeks.

This Australian endemic species is known from the northwestern Kimberley region of Western Australia, northern Northern Territory and into Cape York Peninsula in Queensland. It is also known from an outlying population in the Townsville region in Queensland, as well as some offshore islands in the Northern Territory. This region is very flat so the species is known only from low elevations.

Conservation Actions In-Place
The range of the species overlaps several protected areas.