13 September 2011 – In search of amphibian marshmallows…
After a long day at work, we were looking forward to a relaxing evening at home, but a phone call from a good friend of ours (whom we’ll keep anonymous for obvious reasons) really put a spanner in the works. When Trevor answered the call, he struggled to hear the friend’s voice above the calls of the Cape Rain Frogs. Our friend has a beautiful garden in Durbanville and the rain really got the frogs going. It didn’t take much convincing as we still needed this species for our challenge. We were on the road within minutes!
The Cape Rain Frog (Breviceps gibbosus) is confined to the south-western Cape and is vulnerable due to habitat loss. The males call from concealed positions, which get the ladies walking. The females are silent. It took us about 10 minutes to find a female walking along the ground. A full lifer for Margaret and a new species for our challenge! What a beauty with such an unhappy face. She was about 60mm in length and soft as a marshmallow. We spent the next 30 minutes taking photos of her from every possible angle.
We finished the evening with a cup of coffee chatting to our friends, reminiscing about recent trips and debating which one should be next. So many places, so little time (and money!).
Huge thanks to our friends for opening their home to us. Much appreciated!
Cape Rain Frog
Cape Rain Frog
Our wildlife adventures 
The bloated look – Is that normal or has it something to do with the mating season?
It is the normal look for these frogs Wilma – the whole family has this very rotund look about them. When they get a little aggitated, they blow themselves up even more than this – a really perculiar looking animal!
I cant stop looking at this blog, it is probably the best and interesting blog around on personal trips and experience. This blog will get huge!
H
really love these guys. look like grumpy old men!