Tag Archives: South African Frogs

Skukuza’s frog community

Outside of the reception office at Skukuza in the Kruger National Park is a beautiful pond, which by night is transformed into a stage for dozens of frogs of various kinds. For us it has become a tradition to visit the pond every night we spend in Skukuza to admire the sights and sounds of animals that are becoming ever more rare in the modern world.

We’d love for you to join DeWetsWild on a guided tour of the Kruger National Park or to help you arrange a self-guided visit. Don’t hesitate to reach out!

Clicking Stream Frog

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Strongylopus grayii

The Clicking Stream Frog’s call is a good impersonation of a human tongue click, hence the common name. They’re small frogs, measuring at most 5cm in length, found only in South Africa, Lesotho and Eswatini (Swaziland) and ranging from our west coast, through the Little Karoo and Garden Route, through most of the Eastern Cape and Kwazulu-Natal and then to the higher lying regions of Mpumalanga and Limpopo. They are particularly common in the south-western corner of the country that receives most of its rainfall in winter. They’re regularly found in or near ponds and small dams as well as shallow streams, and so tolerant of poor water quality that they’ll even breed in flooded refuse pits.

Clicking Stream Frogs lay their eggs in moist spots next to the water’s edge. Females can produce up to 350 eggs. In wet weather the tadpoles may emerge within 5 days of the eggs being laid and then scramble to the water, but in dry weather the eggs could remain viable for up to 2 months. It takes 3 to 6 months for the tadpoles to go through the full metamorphosis to adult frog form.

Clicking Stream Frog

Natal Sand Frog

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Tomopterna natalensis

A small frog, only about 4cm long, with variable colouration, the Natal Sand Frog occurs in grasslands and savanna habitats, where they usually breed in shallow water – standing or flowing – soon after the first rains of the season. The tadpoles grow exceptionally quickly, completing their metamorphosis in just two to three weeks! They hibernate underground in sandy soils, and dig themselves into the ground backwards with their hind legs.

In South Africa the Natal Sand Frog is distributed from the Eastern Cape through Kwazulu-Natal and into Mpumalanga, Gauteng and Limpopo. They’re also found in Mozambique and Eswatini (Swaziland) and is considered to be of least concern.