Microbatrachella capensis
Silhouette: Dmitry Bogdanov (vectorized by T. Michael Keesey) · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~50%
The micro frog (Microbatrachella capensis), or Cape Flats frog, is a species of frog less than 2 cm (0.8 in) long in the family Pyxicephalidae, in the monotypic genus Microbatrachella. Its color varies from rufous brown with dark mottling, to tan or green, depending on the population. It is endemic to the south-western Cape area of South Africa, with a single population found on the Cape Flats of Cape Town and several populations on the eastern side of False Bay. It typically lives in wetlands in coastal fynbos habitats, but its total area of occupancy is very small, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has rated it as being "critically endangered".
The micro frog is a very small frog with a rounded snout and smooth skin. At around 18 mm (0.71 in) long, it is one of the smallest regional species. The dorsal surface is dark brown speckled with pale brown, and there is a pale band of color running down each flank. There is a dark bar between the eyes and a narrow pale line along the spine. The underparts are pale brown and the belly spotted with white.
The micro frog is endemic to the south-western Cape area of South Africa... Wikipedia →
Recording0:09
South Africa · 2022
© Oliver Angus · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
Recording0:22
South Africa · 2024
© Adele SL · iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0
Recording0:08
South Africa · 2026
© keithhamshank · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|
More parks will be added in future updates.
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cape Town | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Micro Frog sighting in Cape Town on a given day, based on 119 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 8th most-seen of the 13 amphibians we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
August
In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Micro Frog in Cape Town on a given day, against under 5% in June–July and November–March, the lowest months. That is one of Cape Town's wettest months, with about 120 mm of rain against 15 mm in February.
Between 6 and 9 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Micro Frog sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is mostly seen at night.
Only Cape Town, in our data
Cape Town is the only city on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Micro Frog sightings: about 10% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
Same family: Pyxicephalidae
The closest relatives of the Micro Frog that you can see in Cape Town (family Pyxicephalidae, African Box-headed Frogs) are Clicking Stream Frog (about 30%), Cape River Frog (about 20%) and Cape sand frog (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Micro Frog is recorded against all the amphibians logged in Cape Town (119 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
