Amphibians · Anura · Leptodactylidae

Rufous Frog

Leptodactylus fuscus

Least Concern

The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary

The rufous frog is a frog of open country, widespread across tropical America, famous for the way it breeds: the male digs an underground chamber beside a flood-prone area, whips up a foam nest inside it with his legs, and the tadpoles wait there until the rain floods the burrow and washes them into the water.

Size

4 cm – 6 cm

Lifespan

6 years

Diet

Insectivore

Feeds mainly on insects and other invertebrates.

Activity

Nocturnal

Active mainly at night.

Social structure

Solitary

Lives and hunts alone, joining others only to breed.

Sighting difficulty

Easy

SavannaRainforestGrasslandInsectivore Nocturnal Solitary Amphibian Savanna Rainforest Grassland

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Fun facts

Its tadpoles wait underground: the pair whips up a foam nest inside a chamber dug by the male, and the larvae stay there, riding out the drought, until the rain floods the burrow and washes them into the pool.
The tadpoles can hold out for weeks inside the foam if the rain is late, feeding on the nest's own reserves.
Its call is a short, repeated bark given from the mouth of the burrow, and on the South American savannahs it is heard in chorus after the first rains.

Life cycle & biology

Skeleton type: Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (amphibian)
Habitat & environment: Savannah, grassland, farmland and open country of tropical America
Sexual maturity: 12 months
Gestation / incubation: Larval development in foam nests inside burrows
Litter / clutch size: 250 eggs

Sources consulted: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leptodactylus_fuscus