Common Name: Black Rain Frog
Scientific Name: Breviceps fuscus
Family: Brevicipitidae – Rain Frog family
Location: South Africa
Size: 1.5 – 2 inches (40 – 51 mm)
Cousin of the Desert Rain Frog (Breviceps macrops) – the cutest frog on earth, the Black Rain Frog has been crowned the grumpiest frog alive. Rain Frogs are burrowers, making tunnels underground to hide from the African heat.
The frogs breed from the start of summer, October, through February. Males call from burrows to attract females. They will even call while guarding his eggs. They are a direct developing species of frog, skipping the tadpole stage. Thus, they do not need water to reproduce.
The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List assesses the Black Rain Frog as Least Concern for Extinction. The frog has a small range but its thought to have a large population and no major threats to its survival. Additionally, the IUCN Red List hasn’t re-assessed the frog since 2013.