Interesting facts about the bushveld rain frog
They have a short sticky tongue, similar to that of a chameleon, which they use to catch their food.
ONE of the cutest types of frogs in South Africa are the rain frogs. The most common and widespread species of rain frog, is the bushveld rain frog, also known as the common rain frog. They are common throughout much of Southern Africa, all the way to Angola.
The bushveld rain frog measures about 6cm in length as an adult and spends most of its life underground. They are only active in the spring and summer months and usually only during rains. The rest of the time, it spends in an underground burrow where it can produce a mucus cocoon around itself for protection during the drier months.
They often live communally, with a few individuals sharing the same burrow.
The rain frog emerges from its burrow on warm, wet evenings to hunt for food. Their favorite diet is ants, termites and flying ants. They will often sit by an ants burrow, happily lapping up the ants and termites as they come out. They have a short sticky tongue, similar to that of a chameleon, which they use to catch their food.
Unlike most other frogs, the rain frog does not need pools of water in order to reproduce. They lay large eggs under ground, where the babies fully develop within the egg, emerging as tiny frogs.
These cute little grumpy-faced frogs have an even cuter self defense strategy. When threatened, they inflate their bodies to make themselves look bigger and will often also let out an angry little squeak.
“I’m not quite sure who this is supposed to intimidate, but us humans think its just too cute. My good friend, Dean Boshoff, filmed a rain frog preforming its intimidating threat call and has had over 23 million views on YouTube, if you want to see it, simply search for, ‘worlds cutest frog’,” said Warren Dick.
To have some of your interesting insects, snakes or spiders identified, call or Whatsapp Warren on 072 211 0353. Follow the conversation on Facebook, Warren’s Small World.
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