Having completed the second Sunway Safaris guides training for 2019, Douglas and I (Zandre) with many wonderful guides filled with excitement headed south to Zululand. We spent our time at Zululand Lodge where nature walks are of utmost brilliance. This time of year we find many little critters and what appealed to me most was the Painted Reed Frog.

The Painted Reed Frog is a colourful common species of frog in the area. What do they look like? The name says it all. These frogs have beautiful colours and mottled patterns, which can sometimes vary. Their feet are usually a red or pinkish colour. It’s like a fine painting. Adults can’t be mistaken for any other species. Sub-adults, however, often confuse people, as they lack the bright colours. Juveniles are a pale brown colour, with faint banded markings on their sides.

Poisonous? Definitely not, some people may believe that they are, due to their bright colours, but they aren’t. Some also believe that it can kill cattle if they eat it accidentally.
Painted Reed Frogs emit a short, piercing, high-pitched, whistling sound. If you’re standing by a pond where there are a few dozen of them calling, your ears may start ringing and you may get a mild headache. They’re incredibly loud, but it’s still a nice call. I’d rather listen to them than not hear any frogs at all.
Its occurrence is wide spread and stretches from mid Western Cape, along the coast, to the top of Mozambique. Preferring lowland and coastal areas.
They live around bodies of still water. Whether it’s a dam, garden pond or wetland. Where there’s fresh, non-polluted water, they’ll be there. In a way, it’s a pity that they’re so common. If you go looking for frogs, you’ll see plenty of these so you soon forget to admire and appreciate these stunning little frogs. They have been so successful and spread so rapidly that they are seen as an invasive species to some areas even though they are indigenous to the country.
Frogs are in general poorly known and highly misunderstood; yet they are among the most important members of the animal kingdom. These harmless creatures are as colourful and melodious as birds and they have outlived dinosaurs, but are currently under threat of extinction. Their presence or absence can tell us a lot about an environment and their presence is vital to the functioning of many ecosystems. Frogs are an unusual group of animals as they live in two different environments; water and land. Being unusual is what makes them important and it unfortunately also contributes to them being misunderstood.

Below are a few images from teh guides training.

 Walking at Zululand Lodge

 Tracking skills

 Our experienced guides