Kloof Conservancy BioGuide - Natal Tree Frog
Size up to 65mm
Mass up to 200gram
Lifespan Probably fairly long-lived – up to 10 years
The Natal Tree Frog is a large tree frog belonging to the family of frogs, Arthroleptidae, which is widespread across central Africa. A typical tree frog, it has large orange eyes and a broad mouth.
Its colouration is highly variable: Some may be bright green, others cream coloured, and some may be cream with olive-green blotches. It has long legs and sticky pads on their fingers that help them climb and jump between the branches of trees.
Its Latin name, Leptopelis, means “high hips” and these bony protrusions are usually very evident.
These frogs will often sit in the same position for hours on end.
The males call from prominent, usually elevated positions near water and will defend call sites vigorously, using aggressive territorial calls and physical combat. Calls are loud and audible over long distances.
Pairs go into amplexus in trees and then descend to the ground where they excavate a shallow burrow in soil in which the eggs are laid.
Insects (tadpoles feed on algae), possibly smaller frogs.
They lay their eggs in burrows in the ground close to water. Once hatched, the tadpoles wriggle through mud to open water to complete their development. The call is somewhat akin to "bwee YACK-yack". The first part of the call being described as a drawn-out eeeee buzz.
al forest and bushveld, sand forest, wetlands and riverine bush and occasionally grassland and savanna along the southern KwaZulu-Natal coast and down to Manubi in the Transkei.
Its natural habitats are temperate forests, temperate shrubland, subtropical forests, wetlands, intermittent freshwater marshes, and are commonly found in gardens. These frogs usually live in the foliage and branches of forest trees.
It is threatened by habitat loss through urban development and mechanised gardening equipment.
Quite common in the Kloof area and you are likely to find them along the streams and wetlands in Memorial Park. They prefer large flat leaves, and can be found very high up in trees. They are quite commonly found inside houses, on walls, in showers and sometimes in the toilet!
The females lay up to 200 yellowish eggs in a shallow burrow in soil or amongst dead leaves close to water. Tadpoles emerge after about two weeks, usually after heavy rain. After hatching the tadpoles wriggle to the water and are able to climb over stones and twigs to get there and may survive for weeks before getting to water. The fingers and toes are well-adapted to climbing and have sticky terminal discs. Contact with a single pad to a leaf or branch is sufficient to ensure a safe landing when the frog leaps through vegetation.
My First Book of southern African Frogs – Jeanne Tarrant, 2015
The Complete Guide to southern African Frogs – Du Preez and Carruthers 2009
iphiko Sifinyelela ku 65mm
Isisindo Kuyaku 200 gr
isikhathi sokuphila Kungathithi siphila kade kuyaku 10 weminyaka.
Iselesele lasezihlahleni laseNatal elikhulu elingumndeni wamaselesele, Arthroleptidae, linokusabalala ngaphesheya maphakathi ne-Afrika. Uqobo lweselesele lesihlahla, linamehlo amakhulu awolintshi kanye nomlomo obanzi. Umbala walo unokushintshashintsha okusezingeni eliphezulu. Uyaba luhlaza ngokukhanyayo, omunye ukhilimu, kanye uyaba khilimu nokumgwenya oluhlaza kwisisihla. Linemilenze emide nomgxusho onamathelayo kwiminwe yawo ewasiza ukunontela nokugxuma phakathi kwamagatsha emithi. Ngegama lesi Latin, Leptopelis, okuchaza “izinqulu eziphezulu” kanti lamathambo aphokophoko ajwayele ukucaca kakhulu.
Lamaxoxo anokuvama ukuhlala ngendlela eyodwa isikhathi eside kuze kube sekupheleni. Awesilisa akhala evele obala, avame ukuqhwakela eduze namanzi futhi avikele indawo yokumemeza ngamandla, lisebenzisa ukuhlasela ngokumemeza umbuso ukulwa ngemvelo. Amemeza ngomsindo futhi azwakale ebangeni eliqhelile. Ngamabili aya ebukhulwini besihlahlahla abese ehlela phansi lapho egubha umgodi oshonayo emhlabathini lapho echamusela amaqanda.
Isilokazane (oshobishobi badla isithombo sasemanzini), okungaba amaselesele amancane.
Azalela amaqanda emigodini ephansi eduze namanzi. Uma esechamusele, oshobishobi baphinyilika odakeni bevula amanzi beqedela ukukhula. Ukumemeza kokunye kuhlobana nokuthi “bwee YACK-yack”. Ingxenye yokuqala yokumemeza kwenza njensedilo ethi eeeee buzz.
Kumahlathi akwi Coastal kanye namahlanze, amahlathi asesihlabathini, ezindaweni ezomisile nasehlanzeni elinamanzi ngezinye izikhathi otshanini kanye nasemathafeni ngakwiningizimu neKwaZulu Natal nogu kanye naphansi neManubi eTranskei.
Kuyimvelo isikhungo amahlathi izinga lokushisa, izinga lokushisa endaweni enesihlahlana, kumahlathi akwi-subtropical, kuzindawo eziswakeme, kuziphethu, avame ukuvela ezingadini. Lamaxoxo avama ukuhlala emakhasini kanye nasemagatsheni ezihlahla emahlathini.
Asatshiswa ukuphela kwesikhungo kuzindawo zasemadolobheni nentuthuko kanye nemishini yokwenza izingade.
Avame kakhulu endaweni yase Kloof kanti unganokuwathole ngasemifudlaneni kanye nezindawo eziswakeme kwi Memorial Park. Zincamela amaqabunga aqondile, kanti atholakala phezulu kakhulu ezihlahleni. Avame kakhulu ukutholakala ezindlini, ezindongeni, nakwisihlambi kanye nasendlini yangasese kwesinye isikhathi.
Elesifazane lizalela amaqanda angu 200 aphuzi emgodini ojulile emhlabathini noma kumaqabunga omile eduze namanzi. Oshobishobi bahlaluka emva kwamasonto amabili, ngokuvama emva kwezimvula ezinkulu. Emva lokuchamsela oshobishobi beshibilikela emanzini sebelungele ukunombela ematsheni bese lizabalazele ukufika lapho kanti aphila amasonto ngaphambi kokuba angene emanzini. Iminwe nezinzawane ukuba ajwayezele ukugibela ekupheleni kwendingilizi kunesinafunafu.
Kunokuxhumana kokukodwa egatsheni ukoinsekisa ukuhlala ngokophepha ngenkathi ixoxo lidla izithelo.