SANParks is undertaking a survey of the Cape Rain Frog and is asking for residents help to better understand the densities and distribution of this rare and special frog in residential areas.
One lucky person who completes the rain frog survey before 1 August 2015, will win this lovely book about Southern African frogs (value R398)!
Wynberg is considered one of the hotspots where the Cape Rain Frog is found, and the little creature is also the WRRA mascot.
Have you seen or heard these frogs in your garden or when walking along the green belt, or in parks or public open spaces?
SANParks and the Environmental Resources Management of Cape Town desperately need to know where these frogs live in Wynberg!
Found in only two areas
The Cape Rain Frog (Breviceps gibbosus) is endemic to the Western Cape: it was the FIRST frog from Africa to be described by naturalists.
But today the species is considered near threatened: the Cape Rain Frog occurs in only two populations worldwide – one of which is the Cape Peninsula (the other is the Cederberg/Groot Winterhoek).
How to recognize a Cape Rain Frog
Cape Rain Frogs are burrowers found on sloping, sandy or loamy, well-drained soils. The male calls during the mating season, from late April into spring, by inflating his vocal sac. The call is a long, strongly pulsed squawk or croak.
Listen to the Cape Rain Frog:
From above, the skin is a darker brown and the eyes are dark and small. The face is flat with a narrow downturned mouth. The skin of the underside is a mottled brown on cream colour, and is coarsely granular, especially on the throat of males.This species has a maximum body length of 80 mm (females are larger than males).
These frogs do not hop, they walk or run. The hind limbs and feet are used for digging and their feet aren’t webbed.
When alarmed, the frogs inflate their bodies into an almost spherical ball.
By world standards, this is a rare and special frog of cultural significance: it also happens to be the emblem of the WRRA.
What you can do …
Please click here to complete this quick and easy survey– we need you to supply the requested details including the date of your hearing/seeing the rain frog, and most importantly, the address of where you saw or heard the frog precisely because we need to map out where the frog occurs in Wynberg specifically.
Please also submit locations of sightings and breeding sites to the following sites (also upload your image if you have one – if possible of the frog’s back and head, taken from above the animal, next to a ruler or coin/matchbox):
If you are not able to upload your image, please send the information to the WRRA.
You can also forward recordings to us at wynbergresidents@gmail.com.
For more information about the Cape Rain Frog go to the SA National Biodiversity Institute website.
Original Source: WRRA
I lived in Prospect Hill road from 1990 to 2012 and witnessed the demise of the froggies in my garden. I came back to my house in February 2019 and so happy to report that the frogs have returned. I dont quite have the cacopheny of the days gone by but they are definitely back.