New Southern African frog app making a splash

It’s late at night, and above you stretches the vast expanse of the Southern African sky. You are alone with your thoughts. Or at least you think you are. Suddenly, your senses are jolted by an unexpected sound. You look around, but see nothing. Then you hear it again: “Ribbit-ribbit... ribbit-ribbit...” You take out your phone. It’s time to discover who your companion is!


Thanks to a new app, Frogs of Southern Africa, the brainchild of Prof Louis du Preez from the Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management at North-West University (NWU), developed in collaboration with herpetologist Vincent Carruthers, this is now possible. Southern Africa is home to more than 170 species of frogs, a number that reflects its rich biodiversity but also highlights its ecological fragility. Amphibians, as members of the vertebrate class Amphibia, are the most threatened vertebrates globally. This means they also act as early warning signals for environmental degradation, although their calls often go unheard. Until now. The development of the app is rooted in a desire to change this. “The general public doesn’t know frogs the way they know birds and mammals,” says Du Preez. “This is an attempt to bring the information to them—to raise awareness and promote appreciation.” Built over several years through painstaking fieldwork, collaboration, and a dash of personal obsession, the app curates a trove of photographs, audio recordings, and videos that vividly capture each species’ behaviour, habitat, and most notably, its call.


Sound and picture - From the croaky “kwaark” of the Common River Frog to the duck-like quack of the Raucous Toad (Sclerophrys capensis), each entry is presented in English, Afrikaans, and scientific terminology. More than a simple directory, the app includes geo-referenced tools that allow users to identify which frogs occur where, whether in their back garden or at a planned destination. A photographic key further aids identification, making it invaluable to both researchers and enthusiasts. That accessibility is precisely the point. The Lite version of the app is free to download. “We hope that people will get interested,” says Du Preez.


In resource-constrained regions, where environmental education is often a luxury, mobile apps like this offer a rare intersection of technology and the public good. By making biodiversity tactile and engaging, they foster curiosity and stewardship, especially among the youth, for whom conservation must become second nature. “The app provides, for each of the more than 170 species of frogs of Southern Africa, the Afrikaans name, an explanation of the name, a description of the frog, a description of the call, the preferred habitats, the frog’s habits, and key identification points. Then, for each frog, we provide the call, and for most, a short video,” Du Preez explains. “A handy feature is that you can ask the app which frog species might occur where you are in Southern Africa. Or, if you plan to visit a particular area, you can tap on the map and the app will give you a list of species you may expect. The app also provides a photographic key to help you identify any frog in the region.” Remember that late-night visitor you were trying to identify? “The goal is to create awareness and get the public interested in frogs. There are no frogs in our region that pose any risks to humans.” It’s not a threat; it’s a potential friend.