FAMILY BUFONIDAE – Toads

Schismaderma carens

Sclerophrys gutturalis

Schismaderma carens, Red Toad (Rooiskurwepadda)

I have found pale ones, greenish ones and red ones. For me, they are one of the most difficult to photograph.  They just don’t want to sit still, only hop… hop… hop!

Red toads often come into my  house. I had one that used to hide during daytime in a ‘farm’ shoe that remained outside on the veranda. I could shake it out, wear the shoe in the veldt, and the next morning, the frog would be in the shoe again.

Large eyes with horizontal pupils. Dark glandular ridge stretches from tympanum* to the hindleg. Tympanum as large as the eye

The mating call of Schismaderma carens can become overwhelming if you are sound sensitive.

Amplexus

Amplexus*

Amplexus

Black egg strings are layed in the water and attached to the substrate in water bodies.

Sclerophrys gutturalis, Guttural Toad  (Gorrelskurwepadda)

Their hearing or detection of vibrations must be very well developed. They will stop calling when I approach them when I’m about 50-75 meters away.

I have observed the same frogs in the same area, many a night. A few hangs out in the vicinity of a garden light that attracts insects that are easy meals. It was difficult to choose only a few photos. I love guttural toads.

Dark patches on the snout and behind each eye form a cross on the head. They have prominent parotoid glands on the neck behind the eyes.

Red infusions on the thighs is a characteristic of this species

The distinctive cross on the head and red thighs are clearly seen in this photo

I have seen Guttoral toads hanging in the water for a while, like in the picture above, and then climb out and go on searching for food. They regulate moisture levels by absorbing water by osmosis through the semi-permeable skin.

My husband can’t stand the mating call of Sclerophrys gutturalis. We have a pond very close to our bedroom, and he will get up in the middle of night and relocate them to an animal waterhole nearby.

TERMINOLOGY:

Amplexus is a term used to define mating in frogs. It is a reproductive position used by frogs to replicate externally. The male frog will clasp the female from the back, stimulating the release of eggs. After the egg has been released, the male frog fertilizes each egg with the sperm cells.

Tympanum: The tympanic membrane is a thin membrane that separates the frog’s outer and inner ear. It is located behind the eyes. It allows it to hear both in the air and below the water.

Please contact me should you find a species that I have misidentified.

For more information:

1. Frogs Of Southern Africa, A Complete Guide, Louis du Preez & Vincent Carruthers. Struik Nature 2017