Amphibians

The only amphibians found in Southern Africa are the frogs and toads (order Anura), of which there are 127 species. They range quite considerably in size and appearance, from the tiny hogsback frog (Anhydrophryne rattrayi) which can be as small as 12mm long, to the large African bullfrog (Pyxiecephalus adspersus) which can grow as long as 200mm.

Frog or Toad

The difference between whether the animal is classed as a frog or a toad is to do with how it completes its lifecycle, from spawn to tadpole to adult. Toads always return to water to complete their lifestyle, whilst some frogs have evolved to live entirely in trees, such as the arboreal rainforest species.

Frog Talk

You are quite likely to hear frogs when you are near watering holes at night. Most lodges these days are built near to or around their own watering holes, and the nightly chorus is often dominated by the clicks, pops and croaks of frogs. They have a wide variety of calls with different meanings, so the next time you hear them ‘ribbit’, they could actually be signalling one of the following:

  • Territorial Call: males produce these calls to warn other males that they are too close.
  • Mating Calls: the males produce these calls to advertise their location to females.
  • Male Release Call: as frog genders are virtually identical with little differentiation (non-sexually dimorphic), males occasionally mount other males by mistake, and the release call is to let them know of this error. It could very well be the frog species’ own swear word!
  • Female Release Call: if a female is mounted by a male but she is not sexually receptive, she will give a call to let the male know that he’s not in luck.
  • Distress Calls: when a frog is attacked by a predator it will call out to warn the other frogs. However, when the frogs spot a predator first they will stop croaking and fall silent.

Diet

Frogs are carnivorous and primarily feed on insects and arachnids, but larger species such as the bullfrog are able to hunt bigger prey such as rodents, reptiles and even other frogs.