Another amphibian that we regularly encountered during our nocturnal walks though Satara in December 2021 is the Eastern Olive Toad, whose loud calls made it quite easy to find them.
Sclerophrys (Bufo) garmani
The Eastern Olive Toad occurs patchily from Ethiopia to South Africa and is considered to be of least concern according to the IUCN. It is a savanna species preferring areas with relatively high rainfall, and thus in South Africa is found in northern Kwazulu-Natal, eastern Mpumalanga and most of the Limpopo Province. By day these toads shelter under rocks and logs, in dense vegetation or termite mounds and around houses. They feed on almost any kind of invertebrate.
Females are considerably larger and measure almost 12cm long when fully grown. Breeding usually takes place in temporary pans and marshes, though they’ll also use garden ponds and farm dams, during spring and summer. Females may lay several thousand eggs, which hatch within 24 hours. The tadpoles complete their metamorphosis in 2 to 3 months.
These photographs of Eastern Olive Toads were not taken during our recent visit to the Kruger National Park in December 2021:
DeWetsWild 