African Rain Frogs Look Like Little Angry Avocados
Nature is full of strange little creatures, some of which are quite cute. But there is one species of frog that is incredibly adorable. The Black Rain Frog lives in the southern slopes of the Cape Fold Belt down in South Africa. The small amphibian can survive at elevations as high as 3,300ft. They're a burrowing species of frogs so they don't require water as their natural habitat is the fynbos and forests.
View this post on InstagramA post shared by CSIRO (@csirogram) on Nov 5, 2019 at 1:01am PST
Perhaps the cutest thing about the frog's appearance is that it resembles an upset avocado. He's not actually sad, that's just the frog's natural face. The Instagram account, csirogram, further explained that what makes this frog's look even more unusual is their ability to puff themselves up.
When under threat, this amphibian can fill itself with air in order to make itself look even rounder - very similar to a pufferfish.
View this post on InstagramA post shared by ᔕ乇 22 (@22sect) on May 22, 2020 at 3:43pm PDT
Another interesting fact about the Black Rain Frog is that the females can secrete a sticky substance from their back during mating season in order to ensure that the male doesn't fall off. The whole process is called adhesive amplexus.
View this post on InstagramA post shared by My avocado, it’s so sad (@pleasemyavocadoitssosad) on Jun 9, 2020 at 11:14am PDT
But the most peculiar thing about these small frogs is their expressive faces, and that is what has people on the internet so intrigued by them. There have been plenty of comments about their appearance. One person posted, "If I was an animal, this would be me" - a sentiment most of us could probably agree with. Someone else mentioned how they'd use the frog's adorably sad face to their advantage, stating they'd be carrying the amphibian around with them in their pocket and then when called out for line cutting, they'd just use the power of the frog's face to get away with it - a brilliantly diabolical plan. And a third user stated, "They can roll down cliffs and hills to get away from predators. Awesome".
What do you think of these cute frogs? Check out some more of the frogs' pictures below:
View this post on InstagramA post shared by My avocado, it’s so sad (@pleasemyavocadoitssosad) on Jun 4, 2020 at 4:57pm PDT
View this post on InstagramA post shared by Aiden ¦ Ethical Vegan (@vegan_crusader) on Nov 28, 2019 at 7:42am PST
View this post on InstagramA post shared by ° サブフロント ° Dee (@subfront) on Mar 1, 2016 at 10:31am PST
View this post on InstagramA post shared by Renner♀️ (@mermaidfrog) on Sep 22, 2014 at 12:31pm PDT
Anastasia is an American ex-pat living in Ireland. When she's not writing she can be found wandering the Irish countryside in search of inspiration. You can follow her writing adventures on Twitter @AnastasiaArell5 or Instagram @writeranastasia26