Breviceps adspersus

The adorably rotund Bushveld Rain Frog is found in parts of all South African provinces, with the exception of the Western Cape. They inhabit areas with sandy soil in savanna and grassland habitats, feeding mainly on invertebrates and being especially fond of termites. They walk or run and can’t hop like other frogs do. When feeling threatened they inflate their bodies to become even rounder!

During the dry winter Bushveld Rain Frogs remain underground, but emerge after the first rains when the males start calling from above ground. Adult females, at 6cm in length, are quite a bit larger than the males, and so when it is time to mate the male secretes a glue-like substance that attaches him to the back of the female. She then burrows backwards, male still stuck to her back, to end in a chamber about 30cm deep in the soil. They mate as she lays about 45 large eggs and cover them with a jelly which is thought to turn to a liquid when the eggs hatch. With the female staying nearby the young complete their metamorphosis inside the underground chamber and emerge as fully formed little frogs.

Bushveld Rain Frog

Bushveld Rain Frog

Bushveld Rain Frog