Gray's stream frog facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Gray's stream frog |
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| Extant (resident)
Not pictured is Saint Helena, where it has been introduced and is a resident. |
The Gray's stream frog (scientific name: Strongylopus grayii) is a small type of frog. It belongs to the Pyxicephalidae family. These frogs usually live on the ground, often hiding in plants like sedges. They are generally brown, slim, and can move very quickly. They have long toes that are mostly not webbed.
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What Gray's Stream Frogs Look Like
Gray's stream frogs are quite small. Adult frogs are about 25 to 50 millimeters (1 to 2 inches) long from their snout (nose) to their vent (bottom). Their snout is not very pointy, looking a bit like the Cape river frog's snout.
Skin and Color
The skin on their belly is smooth and light, usually pale white. Their back skin can be many shades of brown, often with darker spots. These spots also make stripes on the top of their thighs. Sometimes, they have a light or reddish line running down their back. Other frogs might have a wide reddish-brown stripe down their back. Their back skin feels a bit bumpy, with small, raised lines mostly running lengthwise.
Eyes and Ears
The frog's eardrum, called the tympanum, is smaller than its eye. It is more than half the size of the eye. You can see it clearly, but it blends in because it's in a dark stripe on the side of its face. This dark stripe goes from its nostril, across the bottom of its eye, over the eardrum, and to the front leg. A light line runs from below the eye to the shoulder. Another light line goes from the snout, across the eye (above the pupil), and back to the shoulder.
Male and Female Differences
Male and female Gray's stream frogs look very similar. The only small difference is that the male frog has a golden color on its lower jaw.
Toes and Feet
All four of their feet have well-developed toes that are mostly not webbed. Their front toes are thin and about as long as their front legs are thick. Their back toes are long. The longest toe (the fourth one) reaches about as far forward as the front toes when the frog is crouching down.
Where Gray's Stream Frogs Live
This type of frog can be found in several countries in southern Africa. These include Lesotho, South Africa, and Eswatini. They might also live in parts of Botswana and Namibia. They are a very common species.
Introduced Population
Gray's stream frogs have also been introduced to a faraway island in the Atlantic Ocean called Saint Helena. They now live there too.
Habitats They Prefer
Gray's stream frogs live in many different places. They are only absent from very dry areas. You can find them in forests, fynbos (a type of heathland), thick bushes, savannas, and grasslands. They also live in areas changed by humans, like farms or gardens. They lay their eggs in almost any shallow water that has plants in it.
Gray's Stream Frog Habits
Gray's stream frogs are common in places where they can find good conditions. This includes grassy or bushy areas around streams and dams. They also like places with seasonal water, such as ponds along roads or vleis (wetlands).
Their Call
During the breeding season, the male frogs make a soft, musical clicking sound. It sounds a bit like a drop of water falling into a pond. However, when many frogs call together, like in the sedges around a dam, it sounds like a loud, continuous rattling noise.
Calling and Breeding
Males mostly sing together at night. But they might also call during the day if it's cloudy, usually from a hidden spot. Like most frogs, they breed in still water. If they feel threatened, adult frogs will jump into the water. They can swim very fast and skillfully.
Staying in Water
However, if they cannot leave the water, they will die within a few hours. It's not just from drowning. It seems they absorb too much water through their skin, which is harmful to them.
