By Nick Caceres
Rain frogs have taken over Tik Tok. Consisting of around 20 species under the genus, Breviceps, Rain Frogs have become a holy grail when it comes to adorable exotic pets on social media. With their grumpy demeanor, big eyes, piercing squeak and their signature chubby, round body the frogs are easily enjoyed, however, what many spectators don’t realize is that this rain frog obsession is a harmful problem. There are currently no captive-bred rain frogs in circulation, meaning that every rain frog seen on social media was collected from the wild where they belong.
Members of Brevicipitidae live across the southern and eastern half of Africa in a variety of arid to semi-arid habitats consisting of savannahs, temperate forests and coastal dunes, with only a few species finding themselves in the northern regions of the continent. As a more specialized amphibian, these frogs are able to quickly burrow backwards into soil and other sediment with large spade-like metatarsal tubercles on their back feet. Therefore, these frogs tend to have very dull coloration and cryptic behavior, even evolving to lose the ability to hop, choosing to walk instead.
Unfortunately, many of the members of this genus are listed as vulnerable or threatened according to the IUCN Red List, most notably the Desert Rain Frog which lives in a fragmented 700 square mile strip along the coast of Namibia and South Africa, afflicted by opencast diamond mining and human encroachment.
The most common and widespread member, the Common Rain Frog, has become a big target for the growing demand of the exotic pet trade. While frogs like the South American Horned Frogs (Pacman frogs), Whites Tree Frogs and the contemporary African Bullfrog are common household pets, they are exclusively captive bred, whereas the rain frog is not.
Usual household frogs are widely considered hardy species that most people can nurture with the proper care, but this is not the case for rain frogs. The complex requirements and specialized lifestyle of rain frogs makes them extremely hard to breed in captivity, requiring deep burrows to produce fertile eggs, and other specific needs for care.
Unfortunately the demand for exotic frogs has spread to other species outside of just the Common Rain Frog, with many more endangered members of Breviceps becoming illegal in the pet trade in many countries.
The knowledge paired with high demand has led to practically all specimens being directly collected from the wild in alarming numbers, meaning that every individual seen on social media was once living in the wild in the African savannah. It’s easy to imagine the shock of going from the Savannah to an enclosure in someone’s living room and it causes many captive rain frogs to live short lives due to either stress or a lack of proper care. Though someone’s video of their cute frog may not seem like it, this is animal abuse– considering that these frogs are supposed to live in dirt, not out in the open fearing for their lives. On top of that, Rain Frogs tend to carry Ranaviruses and Chytridiomycosis which have a high fatality rate when placed in captivity.
With all of this in mind, it’s important to be aware of the ethics surrounding exotic pets on social media. Rain Frogs are not alone in this current reality with more animals finding themselves in captivity through wild collection, leading to fragmented biodiversity with empty niches and long-term negative impact on the environment.