Cape frog a squeaking star
2013-02-24 16:00
Video
2013-02-19 10:23
This YouTube video shows the screaming Desert Rain frog, Breviceps macrops.WATCH
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Cape Town - This may be what it sounds like when a frog has a frog in its throat.
Actually, it is the defensive cry of what's being billed as the
"world's cutest frog".todaysthv.com
When Dean posted the video he asked others to share their pets'
reactions. There was some head butting and a lot of head cocking.
There were attempts to get at the frog and searches to try and figure
out where that weird squeak was coming from. One smart dog even pawed,
bit and snatched a smart phone playing the frog video.
Durban photographer and reptile breeder Dean Boshoff, 27, photographed the tiny desert
rain frog last month while on a camping trip in the Northern Cape.
Boshoff said he found the frog, endemic
to a coastal strip of land about 10km wide in Namibia and South Africa,
while walking in the sand dunes. It is listed as vulnerable on the
International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List of Threatened
Species.
IOL reports the small, plump species is easily recognisable
by its bulging eyes, short snout, short limbs and, of course, its
unusual squeak.
The video shows the puffed-up frog in defence
mode, emitting a high-pitched squeak, which was what first caught
Boshoff’s attention.
“When I got back to Durban, I loaded the pictures on to a local reptile site and received a good response,” he said.
Boshoff decided to upload the video last Wednesday, anticipating a maximum of
50 views.
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