What is an animal like a water frog? What does an amphibian look like? Where does it live? What is the lifestyle? What does it eat? What are the features of keeping a water carrier frog at home? All this will be discussed in our publication.
Appearance
The water carrier frog has a massive head, for which it acquired its second name - the bull toad. The body is covered with numerous folds of various lengths. The latter are located on the sides of the body and on the back. Between them are granular areas of the skin that reach the thighs. The hind limbs are large and strong. With their help, the frog digs deep shelters.
In most representatives of the species, the back has a bright olive hue. Sometimes there are individuals of brown color. A light stripe stretches along the spine. The belly has a rich yellow color. In young individuals, it has a white tint. There are dark markings on the throat.
The water carrier frog has a wide mouth with massive jaws. Inside are several rows of sharp teeth. They serve to capture rather large prey.
Such amphibians can reach a size of about 25 centimeters. Remarkably, the body of some representatives of the species has a width almost identical to the length. This applies mainly to males. After all, female water frogs are much smaller. Their sizes usually do not exceed 12 centimeters. As for the weight of the creatures presented, there were cases when it was possible to catch water carriers weighing more than 2 kilograms.
Habitats
Water frogs are widespread in South Africa. Small animal populations are also found in the Central and Eastern parts of the continent. Such reptiles are typical representatives of the fauna of Namibia. They inhabit savannahs, semi-desert areas, light forests, vast areas filled with thorny thickets.
Lifestyle
Water frogs are more active at night. During the day, they prefer to sit out in places where moisture accumulates. Often hiding from the scorching sun, burrowing into the ground.
A characteristic feature of the species is hibernation. This behavior is observed with the onset of a drought period. The frog burrows deep into the muddy soil, after accumulating in the bladder a significant amount of water, the volume of which sometimes reaches half a liter. The body of the reptile is covered with a protective cocoon, which consists of thick mucus. The secret that stands outfrom the skin, prevents the body from drying out and makes it possible to preserve the supply of life-giving moisture. Only the nostrils remain open for air access. In such inactivity, the frog is able to stay for 5-6 months, waiting for rain.
Reproduction
Crawling out of the ground after a long-awaited downpour, the water carrier begins to actively seek food, preparing for mating. During the mating season, males make loud sounds that vaguely resemble the roar of calves.
Waters reach sexual maturity at about 8 years of age. Active mating games coincide with the height of the rainy season. Representatives of the species slide into shallow water bodies, where they mate. During the search for a sexual partner, such animals become quite aggressive, jealously defending their territory.
Fertilized females are capable of laying about 4,000 eggs in shallow water. Each embryo is no more than 2 mm in size. The eggs are black and white and are enclosed in a dense capsule. Incubation takes several days. Then grayish tadpoles are born, which quickly put on weight.
Metamorphoses begin to occur with newborn frogs after 18 days from birth. Young representatives of the species, whose tail has only recently fallen off and limbs have formed, are up to 2 centimeters in size. It is noteworthy that only about 20% of individuals from one clutch survive to adulthood. The rest die, being eaten by other animals, as a result of a lack of food or underexposure to adverse environmental factors.
Keeping a water carrier frog at home
To contain such a reptile, it is necessary to have a fairly capacious terrarium with a bottom area of about 600 cm2 and a depth of 15 cm. A thick layer of substrate must be laid here. Suitable soil, which consists of expanded clay, sphagnum and small pebbles. Along the perimeter, you can lay stones, snags, plant plants.
In the terrarium, it is necessary to maintain a constant high humidity of at least 50%. You can achieve such indicators by spraying the frog's dwelling daily with a spray bottle. The ambient temperature should be no more than 25 oC.
As the reviews show, the water carrier frog is able to absorb almost any feed. In nature, representatives of the species prey on insects, other reptiles, small fish, worms, and rodents. Often there are cases of cannibalism. In captivity, the animal can be offered large pieces of lean meat, mice, and invertebrates. Feed the frog about once a week, saturating the food with vitamin supplements and powdered calcium.
