Arthroleptis stenodactylus
Silhouette: Maija Karala · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~40% in a week ~70%
Arthroleptis stenodactylus, the common squeaker, dune squeaker, narrow-footed humus frog, savanna squeaking frog, or shovel-footed squeaker, is a species of frog in the family Arthroleptidae. It occurs widely in the Sub-Saharan Africa and is known from coastal Kenya and eastern and southern Tanzania (including Zanzibar), south to Malawi and Mozambique and southwest to Zambia and southern Democratic Republic of the Congo to western Angola, northern Botswana, Zimbabwe, and northeastern South Africa. An isolated population in Uganda likely represent another species, and it is possible that the current species circumscription includes further cryptic species.
Arthroleptis stenodactylus inhabits a very wide variety of habitats such as forest, savanna woodland, thickets, and suburban areas at elevations up to 1,500 m (4,900 ft) above sea level, possibly higher. It is typically found in leaf litter. Breeding is through direct development and not dependent on water. The eggs are laid in hollows or burrows in damp earth. It is an abundant species that is not facing significant threats.
Shovel-footed squeaker Structured guide to the species in southern Africa Wikipedia →
Recording0:14
Zimbabwe · 2025
© GLENN STOCKIL · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
Recording0:04
Tanzania · 2009
© probreviceps · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
Recording0:22
Zimbabwe · 2024
© Nick Helme · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gonarezhou National Park | 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe | |
| 2 | iSimangaliso Wetland Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Common Squeaker sighting in iSimangaliso Wetland Park on a given day, based on 43 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 9th most-seen of the 22 amphibians we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 40%, and over a week to about 70%, if each day is a fresh chance.
January
In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Common Squeaker in iSimangaliso Wetland Park on a given day, against under 5% in July and August, the lowest months.
Between 7 and 10 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Common Squeaker sightings with a recorded time, and about 6 in 10 of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is most active around dawn and dusk.
2nd of 2
Of the 2 parks where we can rate Common Squeaker sightings, iSimangaliso Wetland Park ranks 2nd at about 20%. The best odds are in Gonarezhou National Park (Zimbabwe, about 30%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Common Squeaker is recorded against all the amphibians logged in iSimangaliso Wetland Park (43 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), 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.
