Breviceps adspersus, commonly known as the common Rain Frog or bushveld rain frog, lives on the coast of Southern Africa in Angola, Namibia, Zimbabwe and South Mozambique. It lives in dry dunes of sand where fog regularly forms and the frog can soak up moisture from this source.

Common Rain Frogs are protected from predators by their small size and spherical bodies, which make them hard to see. In addition, they can burrow into the sandy soils where they can hide and escape through a back door to their burrow when danger approaches.

These frogs also use their tongues to “lick” their way through the sand for prey and capture insects such as spiders, centipedes, millipedes, snails, slugs and worms. They may even eat small vertebrates like lizards and snakes if the opportunity arises.

Rainforest Symphony: Getting to Know Common Rain Frogs

Desert rain frogs spend most of their lives underground and only emerge to breed when conditions are right for them. They must survive arid environments that receive only about 60mm of precipitation annually in the form of fog and sand storms.

In captivity, a common rain frog should be kept in a glass or plastic terrarium that can be at least 10 gallons with a substrate of sand and leaf litter that mimics their natural habitat. The enclosure should be kept at a temperature between 20-25oC (68-77oF) and with humidity levels of 60-80%. A hygrometer and thermometer are essential to monitor these levels. In captivity, a diet of live crickets and mealworms that are gut-loaded and dusted with supplements is recommended.