The Village NEWS 31 March - 20 April 2021

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THE VILLAGE NEWS

31 March 2021

MY ENVIRONMENT

The froggy version of a pug: Rain frogs

A

Rain Frog became an internet sensation when photographer Dean Boshoff videoed the little round golf-ball sized creature. In the video, the Desert Rain Frog does not look happy, but then these frogs never do. It emitted loud squeaks, puffed itself up like a balloon, took a defiant stance on its puny little legs and, together with its disgruntled face, presented a very comical sight indeed. The video has had over 20 million hits. Generally, I am not in favour of disturbing wildlife, but sometimes a photo opportunity serves a positive purpose in focusing attention on an aspect of nature, in this case, the rain frogs of Southern Africa. They are indeed a fascinating group of frogs. Rain frogs are endemic to Southern Africa. That means that they are found "nowhere else on the planet", as the wildlife documentaries repeatedly tell us. There are 13 species of rain frogs, of which two occur in our Whale Coast area. These are the Sand Rain Frog (Breviceps rosei) and the Cape Mountain Rain Frog (Breviceps montanus).

burrow backwards, using their hind limbs to excavate the earth while slowly rotating as they dig deeper. For this function, there is a unique digging adaptation of the hind limbs. Once snugly nestled in an underground chamber, they don't aestivate (hibernate) but rather hide from the harsh elements. They will eat any worms or insects that might come their way underground. As soon as the rainy season starts, or even in heavy mist, they emerge from underground, and their thoughts immediately turn to mating. The males start calling for a mate from the mouth of the burrow or from under leaf litter. Some may be so bold as to crawl up vegetation to announce their willingness – from a dizzy height for a rather rotund little frog. Once a frog maiden has indicated her interest, the match is made. However, rain frogs have a problem with the usual frog mating position, known as 'amplexus'. Amplexus most often takes the form of the male jumping on the back of the female, grasping her either behind the arms or around the waist. The vast majority of frog species fertilise their eggs externally, and the amplexus positioning helps ensure that the female's eggs are fertilised by the male when they are released.

tiny tadpoles develop inside the eggs before hatching as fully formed little frogs. They never see water. In fact, they never learn to swim. Their bodies are too tubby for a start; their legs are too short, and their feet are not webbed. If they should fall into the water, the best they can do is to inflate themselves and float until they bump up against dry land – or drown. Sand Rain Frog The Sand Rain Frog is also known as Rose's Sand Frog (Breviceps rosei), or 'Rose se Blaasoppadda' in Afrikaans. B. rosei occurs in sandy soils on coastal lowlands and fynbos of the lower slopes of coastal mountains. This species is not threatened at present. However, much of its habitat has been and continues to be destroyed by coastal and agricultural development and by the spread of invasive alien vegetation, especially Rooikrans. It is thought that there are two distinct subspecies of this frog, one north of Cape Town up the West Coast and the other east of False Bay – that's our area. The two subspecies are only really distinguished by their different calls, much like having different accents in different regions of the country. Our local frog's call is described as "short, moderately-pitched chirps" emitted about one second apart.

As you might imagine a small round male rain frog on top of a large round female, full of eggs, is not a very stable position. But despair not, rain frogs have evolved a neat solution – the frog version of superglue. The male secretes a glue-like substance from the skin on his tummy, and the female does likewise on her back. So the two are bonded together in ‘glued amplexus’. They now even start burrowing underground together, locked in an embrace.

Cape Mountain Rain Frog This tiny frog (Breviceps montanus)occurs widely in the Cape Fold Mountains of the Western Cape, including the fynbos-clad mountains of the Overstrand. It is usually found on coarse, acidic, sandy soils. It generally occurs at high altitudes but is also found at sea level in areas where mountains reach the coast (e.g. Betty's Bay). In such coastal situations, it appears to be restricted to fynbos vegetation and is not found in coastal thicket.

The Afrikaans common name, blaasoppie (blow-up), refers to these animals' habit of inflating their bodies into a ball. They do this when they are alarmed or feel threatened.

Once safely underground in their hidey-hole, the female will start laying her eggs, and the male will fertilise them as they emerge. Much more efficient than casting seed upon the waters. After a few days, the female releases a reversal substance, the glue is dissolved, and the job is done.

Rain frogs occur in many different habitats, from mountain forest to deserts. They spend most of their lives buried underground, or in scientific jargon, they are fossorial, i.e. burrowing animals. They

But what about the tadpoles? How do they get to the water? Well, they don't. The female deposits a stash of jelly capsules that slowly liquefies around the eggs, keeping them well hydrated. The

Relatively little is known about these cute little frogs, and their distribution is not completely mapped. We know they occur in Fernkloof – we hear their short whistle calls every September when it rains during the Flower Festival. What about going out in the rain this winter and trying to find them, record the GPS and photograph them, if possible? Fortunately for froggy hunters, they call both day and night as long as it's wet.

All rain frogs are rather comical-looking. Breviceps means ‘short head’, and it's plain to see why. They are round and fat with short legs and squashed faces, a bit like a froggy version of a pug. But the most distinctive feature is the thin, down-turned mouth, like a child's imitation of someone looking sad.

PHOTO: Trevor Hardaker

Let's make this a challenge to all who walk in Fernkloof this winter.

ABOVE: The Cape Mountain Rain Frog occurs widely in the fynbos-clad mountains of the Overstrand, including Fernkloof. BELOW: The famous Desert Rain Frog is probably one of the cutest amphibians, with its round body, short legs and squashed face, featuring a thin, down-turned mouth. BOTTOM: The Sand Rain Frog is found in the Cape Whale Coast area. PHOTO: Pinterest

By Dr Anina Lee

PHOTO: Trevor Hardaker for FrogMAP


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