Breviceps rosei
Silhouette: Jose Carlos Arenas-Monroy · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
Rose's rain frog or Rose's rainfrog (Breviceps rosei) is a species of frog in the family Brevicipitidae. It is endemic to the sandveld of south-western coastal South Africa. It is less-frequently known as Rose's short-headed frog, Rose's Blaasop, or the sand rain frog. Some treat Breviceps fasciatus as a synonym of this species, although other authorities have expressed doubt.
Frogs in this species spend most of their lives in subterranean nests under sandy ground, where they lay their eggs. They surface during heavy rain. They cannot swim, and are not found in water. Tadpoles develop inside the eggs and hatch as fully formed baby frogs.
Its natural habitats are temperate shrubland, Fynbos Mediterranean shrubland vegetation, sandy shores, arable land, pastureland, rural gardens, and urban areas. It is threatened by habitat loss, and its range is restricted to less than 20,000 square kilometers. Despite this, its future seems secure, as it is very adaptable and remains locally abundant.
There are two subspecies found on separate coasts. The sand rain frog (Breviceps rosei rosei) occurs on the west coast of the Western Cape, and on Robben Island. The eastern... Wikipedia →
Recording0:11
South Africa · 2025
© Luke Goddard · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
Recording0:10
South Africa · 2020
© Leighan Mossop · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
Recording0:27
South Africa · 2026
© Charleen Brunke · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Garden Route National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 2 | Table Mountain National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cape Town | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Rose's Rain Frog sighting in Table Mountain National Park on a given day, based on 17 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 16th most-seen of the 18 amphibians we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.
August–October and December
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Rose's Rain Frog in Table Mountain National Park on a given day, against under 5% in January–July and November, the lowest months.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Rose's Rain Frog sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Among the best
Of the 2 parks where we can rate Rose's Rain Frog sightings, Table Mountain National Park ranks 2nd at under 5%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Garden Route National Park (South Africa, under 5%).
Same genus: Breviceps
The closest relatives of the Rose's Rain Frog that you can see in Table Mountain National Park (genus Breviceps, Rain Frogs) are Giant Rain Frog (about 10%) and Mountain Rain Frog (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Rose's Rain Frog is recorded against all the amphibians logged in Table Mountain National Park (17 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.
