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Treefrog at Lake Elmenteita, Kenya Hyperolius sp? |
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These small treefrogs were sharing some ponds on the grounds of
this camp with some toads. By day
they were well-hidden, and I couldn't find them at all. At night
they were calling loudly and often. The call was a short, bell-like
"ting", repeated every few seconds. Each individual's call was a
slightly different pitch. Each calling frog was perched on a reed
or branch, between 6 inches and a few feet above the water. I only
got a decent look at about three of them, and they were all more or less
yellowish in color and patternless. The vocal sac was also yellowish.
The camp staff naturalist called these "acacia frogs", but I have not been able to find any other reference using that name. These treefrogs were probably between an inch and an inch and a half long. I also heard identical (to my ear anyway) calls from frogs later near the Mara River, but never managed to catch a glimpse of the actual amphibians there. Lake Elmenteita is in the Great Rift Valley, very close to the larger and more famous Lake Nakuru. Please send me mail if you have any further information, reference suggestions, or wild guesses that might help me identify this treefrog.
7/7/00 -- Dr. Drewes identified these frogs as Hyperolius viridiflavus viridiflavus. | ||||
| back to Unidentified East African Herps |
