Phrynobatrachus mababiensis
Silhouette: Dmitry Bogdanov (vectorized by T. Michael Keesey) · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
Phrynobatrachus mababiensis or the Mababe puddle frog is a species of frog in the family Phrynobatrachidae. It is found in Angola, Botswana, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eswatini, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe, possibly Ethiopia, possibly Sudan, and possibly Uganda.
It is found most commonly in subtropical or tropical dry shrubland, subtropical or tropical moist shrubland, subtropical or tropical dry lowland grassland, subtropical or tropical seasonally wet or flooded lowland grassland, rivers, swampland, freshwater lakes, intermittent freshwater lakes, freshwater marshes, intermittent freshwater marshes.
It is able to survive in agricultural lands, rural gardens, water storage areas, ponds, seasonally flooded agricultural land, and canals and ditches. The Mababe puddle frog is a common and widespread species an adaptable species.
There are no reports of it being harvested and is not facing any significant threats. Media related to Phrynobatrachus mababiensis at Wikimedia Commons Wikipedia →
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Zimbabwe · 2024
© Kurt van Wyk · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
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Namibia · 2007
© probreviceps · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
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South Africa · 2021
© magdastlucia · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | iSimangaliso Wetland Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 2 | Kruger National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Mababe puddle frog sighting in Kruger National Park on a given day, based on 21 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 20th most-seen of the 28 amphibians we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
April, June and November–January
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Mababe puddle frog in Kruger National Park on a given day, against under 5% in February–March, May and July–October, the lowest months.
Between 7 and 10 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Mababe puddle frog sightings with a recorded time, and about 6 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is seen both by day and at night.
Among the best
Of the 2 parks where we can rate Mababe puddle frog sightings, Kruger National Park ranks 2nd at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in iSimangaliso Wetland Park (South Africa, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Mababe puddle frog is recorded against all the amphibians logged in Kruger National Park (21 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.
