Durban — Do you love frogs and toads?
Well, during the last weekend of February, the South African Association for Marine Biological Research (Saambr) will host a mini exhibition outside the Dangerous Creatures Reptile House in the uShaka Village Walk.
The mini exhibition will be celebrating frogs.
Saambr’s Ann Kunz said that the exhibition will run on February 25 and February 26, is free to the public and will be open from 9am to 4pm on both Saturday and Sunday and will highlight the diversity of frog species found in South Africa.
Kunz said that the herpetologists and education staff are looking forward to sharing information on what we can all do to ensure that South Africa remains an ideal home for these very important amphibians.
“We caught Jerome, the giant bullfrog, who will be one of the frogs on display at the mini-exhibition, on camera whilst he was undergoing his routine medical health check,” Kunz said.
She said that one of the parameters senior herpetologist Lesley Labuschagne checked for, was weight gain. As can be seen in the image, this hefty frog weighed in at almost one kilogram. Weight gain means different things to different animals, and if you are a frog, a mere 50-gram weight gain is a cause for celebration.
“Giant bullfrogs are indigenous to South Africa and spend most of the year underground in cocoons. They are one of the largest species of frog in South Africa, and as anyone who has ever followed the children’s classics knows, they are to be celebrated and treasured,” explained Kunz.
“Not only do they eat whatever bugs them, but they also eat whatever bugs us too like flies, mosquitoes and all sorts of other insects. So happy frogs mean happy people.
“Unfortunately, South Africa’s frog populations are declining due to development and the subsequent loss of suitable habitat,” Kunz said.
She added that if you are unable to hop down to uShaka Marine World and visit the exhibition, perhaps set aside some time to sit in your garden or the local park and listen to the sounds of frogs and toads and be grateful that these important amphibians are part of your world.
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