Schismaderma carens
Silhouette: Jackson R Phillips · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~70% in a week ~90%
The African red toad (Schismaderma carens), or African split-skin toad, is a species of toad in the family Bufonidae. It is the only species of the monotypic genus Schismaderma. It is found in Angola, Botswana, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eswatini, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and possibly Lesotho.
Its natural habitats are dry savanna, moist savanna, subtropical or tropical dry shrubland, subtropical or tropical moist shrubland, subtropical or tropical dry lowland grassland, freshwater marshes, intermittent freshwater marshes, arable land, pastureland, urban areas, water storage areas, ponds, canals and ditches, and man-made karsts.
The African red toad is a fairly large species with adults reaching about 90 millimetres (3.5 in) in snout-to-vent length, females being slightly larger than males. The upper surface is reddish-brown with a pair of dark brown spots on the shoulders and another pair on the lower back. There is a dorso-lateral ridge with glands running from the tympanum to the back leg, and the outer part of this ridge is darker on its lower edge. The flanks in some individuals are dark and in others... Wikipedia →
Recording0:24
South Africa · 2023
© charldeacon88 · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
Recording0:24
Zimbabwe · 2025
© i_c_riddell · iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0
Recording0:17
South Africa · 2021
© Nick Helme · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gorongosa National Park | 🇲🇿 Mozambique | |
| 2 | Gonarezhou National Park | 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe | |
| 3 | uMkhuze Game Reserve | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 4 | Pilanesberg National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 5 | Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 6 | iSimangaliso Wetland Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 7 | Kruger National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pretoria | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 2 | Lusaka | 🇿🇲 Zambia | |
| 3 | Johannesburg | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 4 | Harare | 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe | |
| 5 | Durban | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kolmården Wildlife Park | 🇸🇪 Sweden |
Possible
About 30% of wildlife watchers report an African Split-skin Toad sighting in Pretoria on a given day, based on 62 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the most-seen of the 5 amphibians we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 70%, and over a week to about 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
January–February and November
In those months about 40% of wildlife watchers report an African Split-skin Toad in Pretoria on a given day, against about 10% in June and August, the lowest months. Those are among Pretoria's wettest months, with about 100 mm of rain a month against almost none in July.
Between 6 and 9 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most African Split-skin Toad sightings with a recorded time, and about half of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is most active around dawn and dusk.
Yes
Of the 5 cities where we can rate African Split-skin Toad sightings, Pretoria has the highest daily chance: about 30%. Next come Lusaka (Zambia, about 30%) and Johannesburg (South Africa, about 20%).
Same family: Bufonidae
The closest relatives of the African Split-skin Toad that you can see in Pretoria (family Bufonidae, True Toads) are African Common Toad (about 30%) and Ranger's Toad (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the African Split-skin Toad is recorded against all the amphibians logged in Pretoria (62 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.
