Hoppy Frog Day: Meet the amphibians at the Two Oceans Aquarium

20 March, 2025 - Amphibians, Conservation, Blog

It’s World Frog Day today, and we’re celebrating the amazing amphibians housed at the Two Oceans Aquarium! When you visit the Aquarium’s Penguin Exhibit, take special notice of the Western leopard toads and platannas – these quirky toads deserve their moment in the limelight.

Hop in and learn more about the frogs and toads that call the Aquarium their home…

Meet the Western leopard toads

Aptly named, the Western Cape is the only place in the world where you will find Western leopard toads. These toads live in sandy coastal lowlands, valleys, and mountain slopes. They spend a fair amount of time away from water but never stray more than a few kilometres from their breeding grounds.

Many Western Cape locals might spot a few of these toads in their gardens! In fact, they’re excellent pest controllers, eating insects, snails, and worms. If your garden has a resident Western leopard toad, think about creating a “toad abode” to provide shelter for them. This can be done by cutting an opening in a flowerpot and placing it upside down in a sheltered area of your garden.

Let’s meet the residents of the toad abode at the Aquarium...

Morgan

Morgan was brought to the Aquarium after being hit by a car as he crossed the road to the Western leopard toad breeding grounds. Unfortunately, this traumatic event caused him to lose an eye and some function in his tongue. With his limited eyesight and tongue function, Morgan would struggle to feed himself in the wild, so he has a permanent home at the Aquarium.

Morgan is the second smallest toad in the Western leopard toad exhibit, but you can also recognise him by his missing right eye.

Lego

Lego was brought to the Aquarium in July 2018 by a concerned local. While crossing the road en route to his breeding grounds, Lego had been hit by a car and severely injured. His back-left limb was badly damaged, leaving bone and muscle tissue exposed. Lego was quickly taken to the Cape Exotic Animal Hospital in Durbanville, where Dr Bernice van Huyssteen expertly amputated his injured leg.

He wouldn’t survive in the wild with only three legs, so Lego found his forever home at the Aquarium post-recovery. You can recognise him as the smallest (and three-legged) toad!

Charlie

Charlie was brought to the Aquarium after she was attacked by a dog in the Noordehoek area. Unfortunately, her injuries were too severe for her to be released, so she became the Aquarium's first permanent toad resident.

Charlie is one of the biggest toads in the Western leopard toad exhibit!

Todd

Todd was brought to the Aquarium in 2019. Her pattern of constantly jumping in circles suggested neurological issues. Our team believed that Todd had been sprayed with insecticides, causing her odd behaviour.

Todd is one of the largest toads in the Western leopard toad exhibit, and another of our permanent residents.

Meet the common platannas

Common platannas live in natural wetlands on the sandy flats of the Cape Peninsula. These frogs are almost completely aquatic and only ever leave the water if forced by drought or other significant disturbances. When seasonal wetlands dry up in the summer months, they bury themselves in the damp mud and reappear after the first rains.

They are also known as African clawed toads, as they have sharp claws on their toes that they use to tear prey apart. Common platannas have a varied diet – their prey includes small fish, tadpoles, crustaceans, insects, worms, and any carrion they find – they will even eat their smaller neighbouring platannas!

Why are frogs and toads important?

Frogs and toads are known as indicator species: their health reflects the health of their ecosystem. Because they breathe through their skin, they are highly susceptible to toxins and poisons in water and air. So, if frogs and toads are dying, we should worry about the state of our environment. The threat of extinction facing these creatures should compel us to take a closer look at what we are doing to our environment and how our actions impact nature. Ultimately, if the frogs are dying, it means we are dying. Save a frog, save yourself.