Fun Bushveld Rain Frog Facts For Kids

The bushveld rain frog is a short, grumpy-looking frog species which is native to southern Africa. This frog is characterized by its disgust towards light and warm weather. It spends most of its time underground and only comes up when the soil is moist with fresh rain.

The breeding season typically starts in spring, when temperatures are low and rain moistens the otherwise hard ground. At the beginning of the breeding season, the male frog croaks from its burrow in order to attract a female.

One of the most interesting features of this frog species is that a male and female bushveld rain frog can get stuck together through a secretion. The secretion is such that the glue-like effect can only be countered by a fluid that is released by the female frog's body! Keep reading to learn more facts about the bushveld rain frog.

What type of animal is a bushveld rain frog?

As the name suggests, Breviceps adspersus is a rain frog that is common in many parts of the world.

What class of animal does a bushveld rain frog belong to?

The bushveld rain frog is classified as an amphibian. More specifically, the name of the class to which it belongs is Amphibia.

How many bushveld rain frogs are there in the world?

While the exact number of bushveld rain frogs or common rain frogs in the world is yet to be known, we can very well imagine that they are found in abundance. This assumption is based on their conservation status, which is that of Least Concern.

Where does a bushveld rain frog live?

The bushveld rain frog or Breviceps adspersus lives in temperate forests and open grasslands. The animal's features are sufficient in sustaining in such climatic conditions, even though it does not actually spend a lot of time above ground if it is not raining.

What is a bushveld rain frog's habitat?

The bushveld rain frog or common rain frog is common in many parts of southern Africa. It is found in large numbers in South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Eswatini, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, amongst other places. This is because these frogs find adequate mating opportunities and have enough time to spend underground in such places.

Who do bushveld rain frogs live with?

It is very tough to find a bushveld rain frog or Breviceps adspersus above the ground when the sun is flaring up over the horizons of southern Africa. This is because, on most occasions, the bushveld rain frog would just dig up a burrow and live underground. Whether or not these frogs have strong family values is unknown. However, they do use each other for protection when a predator is lurking around. Before the mating season, these frogs croak from their burrows before actually emerging.

How long does a bushveld rain frog live?

The lifespan of the bushveld rain frog is highly dependent on its surroundings. When given the right dry soil for burrowing, enough rain, and cloud cover, these frogs can live for up to 15 years. At the same time, they have a minimum lifespan of four years. Whether or not males and females of the Breviceps adspersus species have different life expectancies is not known.

How do they reproduce?

These amphibians are oviparous in nature, meaning that they reproduce by laying eggs. Females of the species lay around 45 eggs in a chamber or burrow that they dig up for that purpose. Froglets only emerge out of a jelly-like sack once they are 1.2-2.4 in (3-6 cm). Until they reach this size, these tiny frogs remain inside the yolk sac.

What is their conservation status?

According to the IUCN Red List, the conservation status of the bushveld rain frog or Breviceps adspersus is that of Least Concern. This essentially means that this species will be around for a long time. One of the most potent reasons behind this is the fact that both the male and female B. adspersus is capable of defending itself from predators through puffing up its body or secreting a glue-like substance.

What do bushveld rain frogs look like?

The common rain frog is characterized by its grumpy face and short legs. The body of this frog can be brown or gray in color, with orange or yellow colored patches on either side. The hind limbs are like spades and help the animal when it wants to dig up a burrow. These limbs are also important for the animal in terms of sustaining itself in harsh African conditions. A description of this frog is incomplete without noting that the bushveld rain frog is capable of inflating itself, much like a pufferfish!

How cute are they?

While some people may be of a different opinion, the grumpy, short face and orange-colored stout body do not exactly come off as cute. Let's just say that bushveld rain frogs do not appear like the cutest or more approachable amphibians.

How do they communicate?

Like most other members of the frog family, the common rain frog communicates through croaking. During the mating season, the common rain frog croaks from its burrow in the hopes that a female would be attracted. When the soil is moist with rain, males and females come up to the surface.

How big is a bushveld rain frog?

The size of the bushveld rain frog species is 1.2-2.4 in (3-6 cm). A related species, named the desert rain frog, is 1.6-2.4 in (4-6 cm) long. The size range of other rain frogs is in the range of 0.7-4 in (2-10 cm).

How fast can a bushveld rain frog move?

This member of the animalia kingdom is not known as a very fast creature. These amphibians usually stay underground and whenever they do come up to the surface, they do not run or hop around at high speed in order to get work done. Instead, this member of the Brevicipitidae family puffs up or secretes glue to save itself. The exact speed at which these frogs can move is unknown; however, we can imagine that they must be great at digging up a burrow really quickly!

How much does a bushveld rain frog weigh?

While the exact weight of the bushveld rain frog is not known, the average weight of rain frogs is in the range of 0.1-0.2 oz (5-8 g).

What are male and female names of the species?

There are no special names for male and female frogs of the Breviceps adspersus species. Hence, we will have to simply refer to them as the male bushveld rain frog and the female bushveld rain frog.

What would you call a baby bushveld rain frog?

Once eggs hatch, juveniles that emerge would be called froglets. Before this, juveniles are known as tadpoles.

What do they eat?

The bushveld rain frog feeding time is essential in the spring season, as rain makes the soil moist, so these frogs will emerge from underground. These short and stout frogs are insectivorous in nature. They indulge in many different types of insects, out of which mites are treated as the favorite. Tadpoles and froglets eat caterpillars and other insects.

Are they poisonous?

While there is no scientific research which would say that these members of the animalia kingdom are poisonous in nature, they are capable of secreting some toxic fluids. Such fluids are milky white in color, and the extent of damage that they can cause is unknown.

Would they make a good pet?

Breviceps adspersus or the common rain frog is not a species that is seen to be very friendly in its natural habitat. The common rain frog remains underground for the majority of its life, coming out only for mating and eating. Even though some people might take a fancy to its grumpy face and stout body, we can hardly call bushveld rain frog pets. They have burrowing tendencies and require dry climatic conditions. They also inflate at the slightest threat and secrete a toxic substance, which can hardly be fun for pet parents. Even though the bushveld rain frog care would assumably be very easy, none of the scientific evidence about the frog suggests that it would make a good pet.

Did you know...

The bushveld rain frog belongs to the genus Breviceps.

The bushveld rain frog lifespan is around 4-15 years.

Each tadpole hatches out of an egg.

The breeding season is typically in the spring season.

The female bushveld rain frog can lay up to 45 eggs in its burrow.

It is also known as the common rain frog.

The bushveld rain frog is not particularly fond of light or warm weather.

It has short, spade-like legs for digging burrows in the dry soil.

Each frog stays inside its burrow during the warm season and only comes out for eating.

Why does the bushveld rain frog inflate?

Both the male and female bushveld rain frog are capable of inflating. While it may be strange for us to see a frog inflate, this animal essentially puffs up its body in order to protect itself against any threats.

How do you care for a bushveld rain frog?

If you have a pet bushveld rain frog or have been wanting to adopt one, there are a couple of things to keep in mind. Bushveld rain frog care is pretty simple as long as the temperate climate that it prefers is maintained inside its tank. At the same time, it is also important to keep the soil moist. Scientific research shows that these frogs do best when kept in a pair so that your pet bushveld rain frog can enjoy some company. It is better to have frogs of the same sex together.

*Please note that this is a cape rain frog and not a bushveld rain frog. If you are able to provide us with a royalty-free image of the bushveld rain frog, we would be happy to credit you. Please contact us at [email protected].