Most visitors to Kapama have been sold by the idea of seeing the Big 5.

But what most guests don’t realize is that there is a lot more to a game drive than seeing the “Big 5”. The smaller animals and even the plants can be just as interesting and sometimes even more so.

With the rain season now in full swing one of the more interesting “critters” that you might find if you are lucky enough is the Bushveld Rain frog or Common Rain Frog (Breviceps adspursus)

The Bushveld Rain Frog lives underground, only emerging to feed and mate after the rain, usually at night time. Its body is stout and globular, with a flattened face. The color of this species is either light or dark brown, with rows of lighter yellow orange patches, with darker borders. It also has the short, stout limbs typical of most burrowing frogs and toads. However, its back feet are like spades and are able to dig up to +/- 45 centimeters
(20 inches) below ground.

If attacked, the frog inflates and lodges itself firmly inside of the burrow. The females are also much larger than males. Since the male cannot grip the female during mating because of the size difference, the female secretes a glue-like substance from her back to keep the mating pair together. The stuck-together pair burrows backwards into the soil until they reach a moist spot. Once a suitable spot is reached, the female lays her eggs. The eggs hatch directly into froglets instead of tadpoles. These frogs are a relatively small species. (3 to 6 centimeters).

If you are ever a visitor at Kapama River Lodge, one thing you can be assured of is that you will get the best of both worlds.

Hope to see you soon.

Riaan – Kapama River Lodge
31/12/2012