East Africa is renowned for its extraordinary biodiversity, showcased in iconic game reserves such as Tanzania’s Serengeti, Kenya’s Maasai Mara, and Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. These areas have served as backdrops for numerous wildlife documentaries featuring charismatic megafauna—lions, crocodiles, massive buffalo migrations, and, of course, gorillas. Yet, one group of animals remains largely overlooked despite its ecological importance: amphibians.
Long before the Great Rift Valley began to form—and well before the first true mammals emerged—ancestors of today’s frogs and caecilians were already present in this region. Amphibians have long played a vital role in East African ecosystems, although they often go unnoticed.
In Amphibians of East Africa, the first comprehensive field guide and reference work on the region’s amphibians, Alan Channing and Kim M. Howell present identification keys and in-depth profiles for 194 frog species and 9 species of caecilians. This essential guide will appeal to herpetology enthusiasts, travelers, and conservation biologists monitoring amphibian populations and ecosystem health.
Each species account offers a full suite of information, including physical descriptions, habitat preferences, geographic range, breeding biology, and advertisement calls. Where known, tadpole characteristics are presented in a dedicated chapter. The authors also provide insights into the etymology of scientific names, along with local and alternative common names. Each account is rounded out with helpful notes and references for further study.
The frog species in this volume span eight families:
Arthroleptidae (squeakers)
Bufonidae (toads)
Hemisotidae (snout-burrowers)
Hyperoliidae (tree frogs)
Microhylidae (narrow-mouthed frogs)
Pipidae (clawed frogs)
Ranidae (true frogs)
Rhacophoridae (foam-nest frogs)
East African caecilians are represented by two families: Caeciliidae and Scolecomorphidae.
Alan Channing is Professor of Biodiversity and Conservation Biology at the University of the Western Cape, South Africa, and author of Amphibians of Central and Southern Africa.
Kim M. Howell is Professor of Zoology and Marine Biology at the University of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and co-author of Field Guide to Reptiles of East Africa.
