They are found in tropical and subtropical sub-Saharan Africa.

Their heads are small and narrow, with hard, upturned noses.

The male leaves through the tunnel, and the female remains with the eggs.

Once sufficient rain has fallen, the female burrows with her nose towards a water source, where the tadpoles will remain until metamorphosis.

Unlike most burrowing frogs, the shovelnose frogs burrow head-first, as opposed to rear-first, hence their other common names - snout-burrowers.