Cape rain frog
| Cape rain frog | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Amphibia |
| Order: | Anura |
| Family: | Brevicipitidae |
| Genus: | Breviceps |
| Species: | B. gibbosus |
| Binomial name | |
| Breviceps gibbosus (Linnaeus, 1758) | |
The cape rain frog or giant rain frog (Breviceps gibbosus) is a species of frog in the Brevicipitidae family.[2]
Distribution
It is endemic to South Africa, where it occurs in the far south-western Cape, in Cape Town and northwards as far as Citrusdal.
In this area it inhabits Mediterranean-type shrubby vegetation, known as fynbos, renosterveld, pastureland on farms, rural gardens, and even urban areas. It seems to adapt well to suburban gardens, but like most frog species it is vulnerable to herbicide poisons and domestic pets.
It is threatened by causes of habitat loss, such as urban sprawl and spread of agriculture.[1]
Life cycle
The Cape Rain Frog lives underground and usually emerges just before rains (from whence it got its common name). It is also seen in misty or damp conditions generally. Local people consider it good luck. Its burrowing provides a role in aerating soil in the south west Cape. It feeds on worms and small insects. When alarmed, it usually inflates its body into a ball.
This species does not require open water to breed (in fact it cannot swim and will drown if placed in the water). Males call for the females with a distinctive trill, day and night throughout much of the rainy winter, and after mating they lay fertilised eggs in a burrow. The females stand guard over the eggs until the young frogs are fully formed. They do not go through a stage of being tadpoles.[3]
References
- 1 2 South African Frog Re-assessment Group (SA-FRoG), IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group, 2010. Breviceps gibbosus. In: IUCN 2012. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2012.2.
- ↑ Frost, Darrel R. (2013). "Names described as 'Breviceps gibbosus'". Amphibian Species of the World: an Online Reference. Version 5.6 (9 January 2013). Retrieved 30 November 2013.
- ↑ http://www.sanbi.org/creature/cape-rain-frog
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