African Red Toad

Fascinating facts about the African Red Toad

• A 90-mm adult African red toad spans the southern half of Africa, from Kenya’s savannas down to South Africa’s grasslands.
• Its skin is reddish-brown with twin dark spots on each shoulder and lower back, and a dorso-lateral ridge of glands runs from the ear to the hind leg.
• When midsummer heats the wetlands, males call from the surface of deep, still water, and females lay double strings of eggs that dangle in submerged plants.
• Tadpoles huddle in dense swarms, and in 37 to 52 days they metamorphose into juveniles.
• It can live in dry savanna, moist shrubland, urban gardens, canals and man-made karsts.

At a glance

About the African Red Toad

The African red toad, Schismaderma carens, is a striking amphibian that commands attention on the savannas and wetlands of southern Africa. Adults grow to about 90 mm (3.5 in) snout-to-vent, with females edging slightly larger than males. Their dorsal skin is reddish-brown, punctuated by twin dark brown shoulder spots and a matching pair on the lower back. A distinctive dorso-lateral ridge, lined with glands, runs from the tympanum to the hind leg, its lower edge darkening toward the outside. Flank coloration varies, ranging from dark to pale tones. When the midsummer heat peaks, males call from the surface of deep, still waters, and females lay double strings of eggs that become tangled in submerged vegetation. The tadpoles are gregarious, forming dense swarms that metamorphose into juveniles in 37 to 52 days. Beyond their breeding grounds, African red toads occupy dry savanna, moist savanna, dry and moist shrubland, lowland grasslands, urban gardens, arable fields, and pasturelands, as well as artificial water bodies such as canals, ditches, and water storage areas.

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