Madikwe Amphibian Checklist

Frogs and toads of the reserve. Best after the first summer rains, when the pans fill and the chorus starts.

19 entries · tick boxes are included, so you can print it and take it on a drive.

Filter this list 19 entries

	Common name	Scientific name	Notes
Bullfrogs & platannas
	Common Platanna	Xenopus laevis	Fully aquatic, with clawed hind toes.
	Giant Bullfrog	Pyxicephalus adspersus	Status: Near Threatened. Emerges to breed explosively in temporary pans after the first heavy rains; the male guards the tadpoles.
Toads
	Guttural Toad	Sclerophrys gutturalis	The snoring call from garden ponds and lodge water features.
	Northern Pygmy Toad	Poyntonophrynus fenoulheti	Tiny, and often on rocky ground.
	Red Toad	Schismaderma carens	Rusty red, with two dark spots on the back.
	Western Olive Toad	Sclerophrys poweri
Rain frogs & burrowers
	Banded Rubber Frog	Phrynomantis bifasciatus	Black with red or pink bands; skin secretions are toxic, so do not handle it.
	Bushveld Rain Frog	Breviceps adspersus	Round, cross, and inflates itself when handled. Digs backwards.
	Mottled Shovel-nosed Frog	Hemisus marmoratus	Burrows head-first, unusually for a frog.
Sand frogs & puddle frogs
	Common Caco	Cacosternum boettgeri	Boettger's caco; a clicking chorus from flooded grassland.
	Knocking Sand Frog	Tomopterna krugerensis	Calls like a hammer tapping.
	Snoring Puddle Frog	Phrynobatrachus natalensis
	Tremolo Sand Frog	Tomopterna cryptotis
Grass & river frogs
	Broad-banded Grass Frog	Ptychadena mossambica
	Common River Frog	Amietia delalandii	Where: permanent water along the Marico.
	Plain Grass Frog	Ptychadena anchietae
Reed & tree frogs
	Bubbling Kassina	Kassina senegalensis	A liquid, bubbling call, like water dripping into a bottle.
	Painted Reed Frog	Hyperolius marmoratus	Loud, piercing whistles from reed stems at night.
	Southern Foam Nest Frog	Chiromantis xerampelina	The grey tree frog. Whips a foam nest over water on an overhanging branch.