Fun facts on Pickersgill’s Reed Frogs in Joburg Zoo

Endangered Pickersgill’s Reed Frogs saved by the Joburg Zoo’s Amphibian conservation project.

The wetlands from Kwa-Zulu Natal are the origin and only place where the species are found. They occur in protected areas such as Isimangaliso Wetland Park, Umlazi Nature Reserve and Umhlanga Lagoon Nature Reserve. Their natural habitat is wetlands with dense emergent vegetation such as reeds, bulrushes and broad-leaved sudges.

Joburg Zoo’s reptile curator, Mlando Dlomo explained, they are indicator species to the environment in the wild, their presence gives the idea that the environment is clean but if they start disappearing then they know that there is contamination in the environment and measures need to be taken to clean the environment. They feed on the mosquito that causes malaria. They also form part of the wetland ecosystem and ensure the continued functioning of the ecosystem. The lives of the species are threatened due to habitat loss, pollution, fire, climate change, disease and over-exploitation.

The Joburg Zoo’s Amphibian Conservation Project has successfully returned more than 400 captive-bred offspring of the rare and endangered Pickersgill’s reed frog back into their natural habitat. The breeding programme got underway with a starter base of 20 frogs from two sites. The frogs were housed in specially designed laboratories at the Joburg Zoo.

Fun facts about Pickersgill’s Reed Frogs:

• Sexually mature males will make calls when they are ready for mating and the female will choose who to mate with.
• Males are normally brown with a lateral white line running from the nose over the eye and then along the side to the groin area on each side of the body.
• Females are normally green in colour, however, you also do find males that are green in colour but still the lateral lines present.
• These frogs can change colour in response to age, lighting and radiation level
• These frogs are quick and generally leap from one leaf to leaf within their habitat
• Females can lay a clutch of up to 100 eggs
• These species mate for eight hours

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