Common Name: Giant Rain Frog, Cape Rain Frog
Scientific Name:Breviceps gibbosus
Family: Brevicipidae – African Rain Frog family
Location: South Africa
Female Size: 3.1 inches (80 mm)
Male Size: smaller than females
The Giant Rain Frog is the largest of species of the genus Breviceps, the Rain Frogs. The frogs of the genus are rarely seen except during the rain, hence the name. They spend most of their time burrowed down beneath the surface. In the hot summer, the frog creates a cocoon around themselves to keep them from drying out. The frogs come to the surface to mate with the start of the winter rains in April and will mate through November.
The male frogs call out for females underneath vegetation or from their burrows. Once the female frog arrives, the male frog tries to grab her from behind. However, the male frog is so small that he can’t fully grab her. Fortunately for him. the female frog secretes a glue substance that allows the male frog to stick to her back. Then, the female frog carries the male frog down to her burrow. There, she lays her eggs and the male frog fertilizes them. She lays roughly 22 eggs. The female frog stays in the burrow until they hatch. The Giant Rain Frog is a direct developing species, skipping a free living tadpole phase.
The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List assesses the Giant Rain Frog as Vulnerable for Extinction. The frog has a small range that is getting even smaller due to expansion of farms and cities in the area. While there are no conservation plans in place to help the frog, they do live in a few protected areas such as the Cape Peninsula National Park, Helderberg Nature Reserve, and Paarl Mountain Nature Reserve. However, more protections are needed to help prevent the species from becoming endangered or possible extinct.