As the ponds around Dolphin Beach have continued to dry out over the past few weeks the African clawed frogs (commonly known as the Cape platanna) have surfaced, driven by the instinct of survival.
This is normal, according to local ward councillor Joy Solomon after the community claimed toxins were responsible for the frogs leaving the pond.
“There is a migration of the Cape platanna from the Dolphin Beach side to the other side because the Dolphin Beach pan is drying up,” she said. ‘People think someone has put poison in there, and that’s why the frogs are leaving. They are leaving because the pond is drying up.”
The pond’s drying up and the drop in water supply is due to the broadening of the Bayside Canal on the other side of the R27.
“They are migrating in hordes and people are driving over them, getting many people very upset,” Solomons told TygerBurger.
What is a platanna?
According to the Two Oceans Aquarium these “flat frogs” live in natural water-bodies, but one may see them in one’s garden pond. They also don’t mind living in the local sewage works. At the end of the rainy season they bury themselves under wet mud, where they hibernate until the next rains.
Also known as African clawed frogs, these “flat frogs” have powerful back legs and sharp claws on three of their toes. They hold prey in their mouths and tear it with an overhead “kick” by their back legs.
Common platannas feed in the waters of any living creatures they can overpower. Their prey includes frogs and tadpoles (including their own kind), insects and other invertebrates (mosquito larvae are consumed by young frogs), small fish, young birds and mice that fall into the water. They even feed on carrion in the water.
A local resident Graham Childs says he saw about a hundred of them crossing the road and heading towards the Rietvlei Nature Reserve.
“I literary had to dead break when I saw them,” he said. “It was quite an experience.”
Where do they live?
Platannas are found throughout the swamps, wetlands, ponds, lakes, and slow-flowing rivers of Sub-Saharan Africa.
“Because they are so adaptable, platannas that have escaped as pets or laboratory animals have been inadvertently introduced to other parts of the world as an invasive species, including North America, the UK and China,” the Two Oceans Aquarium pointed out.
“These frogs are almost completely aquatic and only ever leave the water if forced by drought or other significant disturbances.”
In cases of drought they will bury themselves in mud and wait for up to a year for rains to return. But they can also use their powerful hind legs to cover large distances on land quickly and have been known to travel over 2 km to find alternative bodies of water to live in.
Platannas aren’t your stereotypical frog. They don’t have tongues to catch insects, nor do they have teeth to enjoy any particularly specialised diet. Instead, these carnivores rely on their hands, feet and enormous mouths to feed.
Platannas are not fussy, they will prey on small fish, tadpoles, crustaceans, insects, worms and any carrion they find; they will even eat their smaller neighbouring platannas! When they spot prey they lie motionless, and when their prey gets too close they will quickly use their front hands to grab food and shovel it into their open mouths.
Adaptability
“As you may already have figured out, from their ability to avoid droughts and survive on a wide variety of foods, that platannas are highly adaptable, and their reproductive cycle is no different,” according to the Aquarium.
Platannas have no specific breeding season. Conditions are usually ideal for breeding after a wet period. When they can safely emerge from their burrows or their waters have been reinvigorated by fresh nutrients, both male and female platannas will make their mating calls and try to find each other while moving from pool to pool to find food.
“While this strategy serves platannas well when water is scarce, they are also surprisingly social when they find themselves in wet environments and ponds.”
