Hemisus guttatus

Description

The Spotted Shovelnose Frog can be found in the arid savannah of South Africa. It has a rounded body with a small pointed head and pointed snout, and tiny eyes. Its skin is dark purple or brown, with numerous yellow dots on the back. The hard, flattened snout is used for burrowing head-first, as the common name of Spotted Snout-Burrower suggests. The snout is pushed into the ground with up-and-down movements, like a spade, while the hands and mole-like claws dig into the soil and the back legs exert force. This frog is unusual in its head-first burrowing, as most burrowing frogs do so feet-first. During the dry season, Hemisus guttatus estivates within muddy hollows and banks. The first rains of the season signal the frogs to breed. Each heel bears a small, keratinized ridge on the inner surface, facilitating burrowing. These frogs spend most of their time underground in areas of flat, sandy soil that tend to flood during the rains. This is a 3-D printed, hand-painted model.