Dr Fortunate Mafeta Phaka
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dr-mafeta-phaka.bsky.social
Dr Fortunate Mafeta Phaka
@dr-mafeta-phaka.bsky.social
460 followers 250 following 260 posts
Researcher of herptile-human interactions. Author of Bilingual Guide to the Frogs of Zululand. Wildlife TV Producer. Multiple awards for inclusive science.
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dr-mafeta-phaka.bsky.social
Find yourself someone who thinks about you the way I think about frogs.
BTS of latest shoot with @southafricaconventions

#MeetInSouthAfrica #FindYourJoyInSouthAfrica
December 7, 2025 at 9:45 PM
dr-mafeta-phaka.bsky.social
Tried putting one of my problems behind me, and it smiled.
Small dogs are such loveable menaces.
December 7, 2025 at 9:20 PM
dr-mafeta-phaka.bsky.social
Me: Look, a Green Drab Moth.
My 7yr old: But it’s not green.
Me: I can’t wait for you to start learning bird names.
November 17, 2025 at 10:08 AM
dr-mafeta-phaka.bsky.social
Unlike their non-avian reptile relatives, birds are show-offs and people are fascinated by their horn dog behaviour (AKA mating displays).
October 12, 2025 at 9:37 PM
dr-mafeta-phaka.bsky.social
Female Raucous Toad on the move.
🐸 #frogs #Herpetology #AfricanWildlife
September 20, 2025 at 7:12 PM
dr-mafeta-phaka.bsky.social
South Africa’s 1st ever multilingual frog posters are now available for free download. Showcasing the 🐸 diversity of each of the 9 provinces in 11 official languages.

www.wildvernac.org/wildlife-in-...

#AfricanWildlife #Frogs #Herpetology #SciComm
September 19, 2025 at 7:18 AM
dr-mafeta-phaka.bsky.social
Repurposing colleague’s work space while he attends a conference. South Africa’s 1st ever multilingual 🐸 posters are getting ready to be delivered to schools.
September 17, 2025 at 9:39 AM
dr-mafeta-phaka.bsky.social
Same Same. Me from the Earth realm and me from the @scisuperheroes.bsky.social realm both hate pineapple and never worry about fitting in.
August 21, 2025 at 7:09 PM
dr-mafeta-phaka.bsky.social
The frog I usually hear but rarely see in the field, and it always turns up in my living room during the rainy season.

🐸🪪 Common Caco,
Cacosternum boettgeri.

#Herpetology #Frogs #AfricanWildlife #Amphibians
August 19, 2025 at 6:50 PM
dr-mafeta-phaka.bsky.social
The Red Toad, not always red, sometimes ashy grey. Thrives in residential areas unbothered by the severely altered habitat and taking advantage of the new microhabitats created by people’s homemaking.

#UrbanWildlife #Frogs #Herpetology #AfricanWildlife #SouthAfrica 🐸🌍
August 14, 2025 at 7:34 PM
dr-mafeta-phaka.bsky.social
Greater Leaf-folding Frog, the larger among KwaZulu-Natal’s Leaf-folding Frogs.

#ShotOnCanon #AfricanWildlife #Herpetology #Frogs #Amphibians
August 13, 2025 at 6:55 PM
dr-mafeta-phaka.bsky.social
Nonchalant in 🐸 form.

🪪 Leptopelis natalensis, Natal Tree Frog.

#amphibian #herpetology #AfricanWildlife #herping #FrogsOfSouthAfrica #Frogs #ShotOnCanon
August 10, 2025 at 10:01 PM
dr-mafeta-phaka.bsky.social
Nonchalant in 🐸 form.

🪪 Leptopelis mossambicus, Brown-backed Tree Frog.

#amphibian #herpetology #AfricanWildlife #herping #LimpopoProvince #Frogs
August 8, 2025 at 10:10 AM
dr-mafeta-phaka.bsky.social
Nonchalant in 🐸 form.

🪪 Leptopelis natalensis, Natal Tree Frog.

#amphibian #herpetology #AfricanWildlife #herping
August 7, 2025 at 6:18 PM
dr-mafeta-phaka.bsky.social
Nictitating membranes are fancy structures that protect and moisten the eye. This African Bullfrog takes fancy to a new level by lining its nictitating membrane with a bit of gold.

🐸 #AfricanWildlife #Amphibians #Frogs #AfricanWildlife #Limpopo #Herpetology
August 5, 2025 at 8:59 PM
dr-mafeta-phaka.bsky.social
Eye level photos of frogs are not always a good idea.

#WildlifePhotography #ShotOnCanon #Herpetology #Frogs #Amphibians 🐸
August 2, 2025 at 7:38 AM
dr-mafeta-phaka.bsky.social
🐸🪪Bubbling Kassina,
Kassina senegalensis.

#LimpopoProvince #Amphibians #Frogs #Herpetology #AfricanWildlife #ShotOnCanon
July 28, 2025 at 6:09 PM
dr-mafeta-phaka.bsky.social
A ver calm Spotted Bush Snake to end off #SnakeWeek 🐍

#AfricanWildlife #Snakes #Herpetology
July 20, 2025 at 9:16 AM
dr-mafeta-phaka.bsky.social
Did that River Frog just wink at me?
🐸 #Amphibians #Frog #Herpetology
July 18, 2025 at 8:20 PM
dr-mafeta-phaka.bsky.social
🪪🐸 Greater Leaf-folding Frog,
Afrixalus fornasini.

#KwaZulu-Natal #Frogs #Amphibians #Herpetology #AfricanWildlife #Amphibians #shotoncanon
July 17, 2025 at 3:17 PM
dr-mafeta-phaka.bsky.social
Performance anxiety issues when a mosquito on the nostril and a nosy herpetologist are too much for this Bubbling Kassina to keep calling to attract mates.

🐸 #Frogs #Amphibians #Herpetology #HerpingSouthAfrica
#AfricanWildlife #ShotOnIphone
July 14, 2025 at 9:11 PM
dr-mafeta-phaka.bsky.social
Full article: Naming South African frogs and reptiles in nine Indigenous languages

www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

#Herpetology #OpenAccess #IndigenousLanguages
July 4, 2025 at 6:47 PM
dr-mafeta-phaka.bsky.social
Post a bug that looks like AI but is actually real.

This is a Lorenzo Red-tab Policeman caterpillar, one of the rare Skipper Butterflies.

#Lepidoptera #Invertebrates
June 18, 2025 at 9:31 PM
dr-mafeta-phaka.bsky.social
A pig among frogs. Mottled shovel-nosed or pig-nosed frog’s pointy face and hard snout are great for their burrowing lifestyle.

🐸🪪Hemisus marmoratus

#herpetology #amphibians #AfricanWildlife #ShotOnCanon #Frogs
June 18, 2025 at 12:43 PM
dr-mafeta-phaka.bsky.social
Used my thickest light diffuser to show the Natal Tree Frog’s beautiful eyes without glare. Surprising result was capturing the reflection of the flash’s light as it triggered at a relatively slow shutter speed.

🐸🪪 Leptopelis natalensis
#HerpingAfrica #Amphibians #Herpetology #Frogsoftheworld
June 16, 2025 at 4:53 PM