A Curious Collection of Peculiar Creatures

Black rain frogs are very small, only about 1.5 to 2 inches (4–5 cm) long. However, when they’re feeling threatened or scared, they’ll puff themselves up to seem much larger and more menacing. With their sad expressions and knobby skin, this makes them look a little like a bumpy, grumpy balloon! But it’s all part of their defense mechanism. Doing this may frighten off a hungry snake or pig. It also keeps them safe from being pulled out of their burrows by predators—once they’re puffed up, they can’t fit through the entrance!

To find this species, you have to travel to South Africa, particularly the forests and heathland areas of the southernmost tip, known as the Cape Fold Mountains. Since these are burrowing frogs, you won’t find them spending their days in water! Instead, they hang out in tunnels up to 6 inches (15 cm) deep, in the slopes and hills around the mountains. These frogs are nocturnal, so they’re active only at night.

No one knows exactly what black rain frogs eat. Most likely, they spend their time hunting worms, spiders, and insects, which they then slurp up with their sticky tongues.

Black rain frogs are hunted by predators like pigs, snakes, and birds of prey, and they’re also threatened by environmental changes. Invasive plant species and frequent wildfires put their habitat at risk. Fortunately, scientists are monitoring these issues to make sure the frogs’ numbers don’t fall too low.

Fun Facts

A group of black rain frogs is called an army or a knot.
Black rain frogs can be very clever. The females lay around 43 eggs in their burrow. Then they lay another set of eggs on top—but these eggs are empty! This way, when predators raid the burrows to eat the eggs, the ones with babies in them are more likely to survive.
When these frogs mate, the female makes a sticky goo that keeps the male attached to her for as long as it takes to fertilize the eggs—and sometimes even longer!
The male frogs keep watch over the eggs while waiting for them to hatch.