Amietia fuscigula
Silhouette: Dmitry Bogdanov (vectorized by T. Michael Keesey) · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~70% in a week >90%
The Cape river frog (Amietia fuscigula) is a species of frog in the family Pyxicephalidae named for the Cape of Good Hope. Formerly, it was placed in the family Ranidae. It occurs widely in the Eastern Cape and Western Cape provinces of South Africa. A newly described species, A. poyntoni, was split from this species in 2013.
The Cape river frog is a fairly large, typical frog with a snout-to-vent measurement of up to about 125 mm. The snout is slightly rounded. It has a powerful, athletic build with long hind legs and feet, well adapted for leaping, but also well webbed; the species is a powerful swimmer. The fore feet are not webbed. When the animal sits at rest on a level surface, the tip of the longest rear toe reaches to directly below the tympanum.
The ventral skin is smooth and white, except for dark mottling on the throat. The mottling inspired the specific epithet fuscigula: Latin for "dusky throated". In some specimens, the mottling extends to the belly. The dorsal skin bears a modest sprinkling of small, rounded protuberances and segments of longitudinal ridges. The colour scheme is variable, ranging from dark- through light-brown, also commonly green... Wikipedia →
Recording0:38
South Africa · 2022
© flamelily · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
Recording0:38
South Africa · 2021
© Cameron Scott · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
Recording0:21
South Africa · 2021
© Alex Rebelo · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Table Mountain National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 2 | Garden Route National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 3 | De Hoop Nature Reserve | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cape Town | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Exotic Animal World | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
Likely
About 40% of wildlife watchers report a Cape River Frog sighting in Table Mountain National Park on a given day, based on 1,103 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 2nd most-seen of the 18 amphibians we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 70%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
February and December
In those months about 50% of wildlife watchers report a Cape River Frog in Table Mountain National Park on a given day, against about 20% in June and August, the lowest months. Those are among Table Mountain National Park's driest months, with about 20 mm of rain a month against 110 mm in June.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Cape River Frog sightings with a recorded time, and about 7 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Yes
Of the 3 parks where we can rate Cape River Frog sightings, Table Mountain National Park has the highest daily chance: about 40%. Next come Garden Route National Park (South Africa, about 30%) and De Hoop Nature Reserve (South Africa, about 20%).
Same family: Pyxicephalidae
The closest relatives of the Cape River Frog that you can see in Table Mountain National Park (family Pyxicephalidae, African Box-headed Frogs) are Clicking Stream Frog (about 30%), Lightfoot's moss frog (about 10%) 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 Cape River Frog is recorded against all the amphibians logged in Table Mountain National Park (1,103 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.
