Red-legged Wot-wot

Red-legged Wot-wot

Phlyctimantis maculatus

Silhouette: Jose Carlos Arenas-Monroy · PhyloPic

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
at iSimangaliso Wetland Park

In 3 days ~50% in a week ~80%

74 Verified sightings at iSimangaliso Wetland Park From 2019 to 2026
79 In all 2 parks
February Best month
🌙 Nocturnal When it's spotted

About the Red-legged Wot-wot

Hylambates maculatus is a species of frog in the family Hyperoliidae. They are silvery greyish-brown with dark brown to black spots, and derive their name from bright red coloring on the ventral side of their hind legs. Adult body length is typically 6 to 7.5 centimeters. These frogs have vertical pupils. Common names include red-legged running frog, brown-spotted tree frog, red-legged Kassina, red-legged pan frog, spotted running frog, tiger leg running frog, and vlei frog.

Hylambates maculatus is endemic to the tropical and sub-tropical areas of Africa's east coast (Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, South Africa, and Eswatini). The frog thrives in varying terrain including shrubland, grassland, savannah, and forest as long as there exists a ready source of fresh water or high humidity. Its natural habitats are dry savanna, moist savanna, subtropical or tropical dry shrubland, subtropical or tropical moist shrubland, temperate grassland, subtropical or tropical dry lowland grassland, subtropical or tropical seasonally wet or flooded lowland grassland, swamps, intermittent freshwater lakes, freshwater marshes, intermittent freshwater marches, arable land,... Wikipedia →

Sounds

Recording0:21

South Africa · 2023

© apusaffinis · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0

Recording0:05

South Africa · 2022

© Dave Richardson · iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0

Recording1:01

South Africa · 2022

© magdastlucia · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 iSimangaliso Wetland Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~20%
2 Kruger National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
<5%

Closest Relatives at iSimangaliso Wetland Park

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Red-legged Wot-wot in iSimangaliso Wetland Park?

Possible

About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Red-legged Wot-wot sighting in iSimangaliso Wetland Park on a given day, based on 74 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 7th most-seen of the 22 amphibians we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 50%, and over a week to about 80%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Red-legged Wot-wot in iSimangaliso Wetland Park?

February and November

In those months about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Red-legged Wot-wot in iSimangaliso Wetland Park on a given day, against under 5% in April, the lowest month. Those are among iSimangaliso Wetland Park's wettest months, with about 100 mm of rain a month against 30 mm in July.

What time of day is best to see a Red-legged Wot-wot?

Between 7 and 10 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Red-legged Wot-wot sightings with a recorded time, and about 7 in 10 of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is mostly seen at night.

Is iSimangaliso Wetland Park the best place to see a Red-legged Wot-wot?

Yes

Of the 2 parks where we can rate Red-legged Wot-wot sightings, iSimangaliso Wetland Park has the highest daily chance: about 20%. Next come Kruger National Park (South Africa, under 5%).

Which relatives of the Red-legged Wot-wot live in iSimangaliso Wetland Park?

Same family: Hyperoliidae

The closest relatives of the Red-legged Wot-wot that you can see in iSimangaliso Wetland Park (family Hyperoliidae, African Reed Frogs) are Painted Reed Frog (about 50%), Tinker Reed Frog (about 40%) and Water Lily Reed Frog (about 30%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Red-legged Wot-wot sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Red-legged Wot-wot is recorded against all the amphibians logged in iSimangaliso Wetland Park (74 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.

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