Forest rain frog (Breviceps sylvestris taeniatus)

Cute Frog of the Week: Oct. 31, 2011

If you were to go poking around the forest of Limpopo Province in South Africa on Halloween, you may get spooked by one of its amphibian residents. The forest rain frog (Breviceps sylvestris taeniatus) looks like it is always ready for trick-or-treating with its bright orange and black skin, and dark eyes. Luckily, there is no reason to be afraid of this rotund frog. It sticks strictly to haunting forests, or areas very close to forests, where it breeds in chambers underground.

Females can give the illusion of being buried alive, guarding their eggs in underground nests. The nests are sometimes hidden beneath rocks, making them sound more like graves. However, they are actually dens of life. Eggs laid in them skip the tadpole stage and develop directly into miniature orange and black froglets—which is the best trick of all for this frog. In fact, the life-cycle of the rain frog is so divorced from water that these strange creatures cannot even swim, and their hind legs are so poorly developed that they cannot jump like other frogs. Their dependence on humus-rich soils means that they are probably vulnerable to habitat degradation, but they spend so little time on the surface that their population status often remains a mystery.

Happy Halloween!

Photo by Sebastian Kirchhof via Arkive.

Every week the Panama Amphibian Rescue and Conservation Project posts a new photo of a cute frog from anywhere in the world with an interesting, fun and unique story to tell. Be sure to check back every Monday for the latest addition.

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