Breviceps adspersus, the common Rain Frog, or bushveld rain frog, is a fascinating and unique species that has adapted to live in some of the most challenging environments on Earth. Learn more about the physical characteristics, habitat and distribution, behavior and adaptations, diet, reproduction, and conservation status of this remarkable frog.Resource: This link
This is a desert frog, so it can’t spend much time in the water, and its legs grow relatively short. To compensate, it developed extensive webbing that helps it dig through the sand and hunt for worms and other prey. It also has granular glands that produce skin secretions to deter predators. The frogs also use their calls to mark their territories and to attract potential mates.
Common Rain Frogs: An Amphibious Symphony in Nature’s Chorus
Frogs of the same genus have specialized sacs that sit under their heads and are inflated with air to resonate loud, chirping calls—both as a mating gesture and as a warning or threat. In the desert, these vocalizations may help frogs detect prey from great distances, as well as to distinguish between their own and other frogs’ territories.
In the wild, these frogs spend most of their lives in burrows and emerge only when the rainy season arrives, when they come out to eat swarming termites and other insects. They also can be found in a variety of disturbed habitats, including pine plantations, agricultural landscapes and residential gardens in the fynbos and renosterveld ecoregions. Despite these adaptions, the common Rain Frog still faces many threats to its survival. Fortunately, protected areas are being established and efforts to reforest degraded habitat are underway.