Frogs a focus for Leap Day
It’s Leap Day for Frogs today, two days ahead of the day that makes this a leap year for us.
|||It’s Leap Day for Frogs today, two days ahead of the day that makes this a leap year for us.
While rhinos and pandas are in the threatened creatures’ limelight, amphibians deserve similar attention, according to Jeanne Tarrant, the manager of the Endangered Wildlife Trust’s Threatened Amphibian Programme.
“Amphibians are the most threatened vertebrates on the planet, mainly due to habitat loss.
“They do not live only in dams and ponds - their habitat is very diverse. They even live in deserts.”
Hence their vulnerability.
Under threat in KwaZulu-Natal is the Pickergill’s reed frog, described only in 1982 by London banker Martin Pickergill, who would spend summers looking for frogs in Africa.
“They live in only a couple of sites in wetlands of the Indian Ocean coastline, where people live and mining goes on.”
More iconic to Durban is the Natal tree frog, known for its long legs.
Then there’s the spotted shovel frog.
“It’s a Durban special,” said Tarrant.
“You don’t see it a lot, though. It looks like a mole and has a hardened nose that it uses as a spade, and is purple with yellow spots.”
It gives off more of an insect buzzing noise than a croak, she added.
Tarrant said South Africa had 120 species of frogs, the “ordinary old toad in the pool” being just one of them.
“On Leap Day for Frogs we are trying to get through to people a serious message about the vulnerability of frogs in a celebratory way,” said Tarrant.
Many schools have observed the day with special lessons about frogs. Schoolchildren will also produce art work representing frogs.
“We’ve also been running a photographic competition.”
On Monday, people passing through King Shaka International Airport will be able to view a display about frogs.
Next to the airport is Mount Moreland, which has a wetland that is full of frogs and birds.
This afternoon and evening, there will be a Leap Day for Frogs fair at 4 Bond Street, Mount Moreland, with live music (Steve Fataar) and yoga, from 2pm to 10pm.
This evening, from 4pm to 8.30pm, there will be guided forest walks through Tanglewood Farm, Kloof, to see, hear and identify frogs.
For further information, go to www.leapdayforfrogs.org.za.
Independent on Saturday