THIS bizarre-looking creature is probably the rarest frog species in the Highway area. It is known as the Spotted Shovel-nosed Frog (Hemisus guttatus).
Appearance
Apart from being the rarest frog in our area, it’s arguably the most adorable too. Its purplish/brown, rounded, body, is covered in bright yellow spots. With those colours and patterns, short, stubby legs, and its pointed snout, this species is unique-looking.
Females are considerably larger than males, growing up to 8cm in length.
Do its bright spots serve as a warning to predators that it’s poisonous?
No, it is not a poisonous species. That spotted appearance actually works well for camouflage. It gives the frog a disruptive colouration, helping it to blend in among grass. You wouldn’t think so, but it does.
Why the pointed nose?
As you may guess, that pointed snout is used for burrowing.
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It’s surprisingly hard, almost feeling like a bone. It presses its face into the ground, and using its deceptively powerful back legs, it burrows into the ground, where it spends most of its time.
The frog only emerges in spring and summer, during heavy rains.
Where does it live?
Around wetlands and pans in grassland/marsh areas.
There are a mere handful of records from the Highway Area. I know of one from Pinetown, and one near Hillcrest (shared by Dr.Jeanne Tarrant). The frogs are more common further north, but it is still rarely seen in those parts.
Interestingly, it does not breed in water, like most other frogs. This chubby frog cannot swim, and it will drown if it falls into a pond. It lays its eggs underground, among a jelly-like fluid. Once the tadpoles hatch, the ‘jelly’ becomes frothy, and it develops in that liquid. It emerges as fully developed frogs.
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What does it sound like?
It makes a high-pitched buzzing sound. Even if it’s calling from right in front of you, you’ll still struggle to find it.
Vulnerable to extinction
This little frog is currently listed by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species as Vulnerable. Meaning vulnerable to extinction.
Habitat destruction is its biggest threat of course, especially seeing as it has a fairly small distribution.
Appeal
If you have a photo of this species, or take a photo of one in future, please could you email it to myself and Dr Jeanne Tarrant (Endangered Wildlife Trust), along with the location.
These could be important records, benefiting research and conservation of this species. E-mail: nickevanskzn@gmail.com and jeannet@ewt.org.za
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