There are nine species in this family of frogs. They are found in the savannahs and scrub forests of Sub-Saharan Africa.

They have smooth skin, stubby front legs, and a small head with a pointed snout. Shovelnose frogs are also known as snout burrowers. They burrow head-first into the earth – most of the other species of burrowing frogs burrow rear-first.

The female digs an underground breeding chamber and lays her eggs. The male enters the chamber and fertilizes the eggs. The female stays with the eggs.

When they hatch, she either digs a tunnel to the water, carries the tadpoles on her back to the water, waits for rain to wash the tadpoles to the water, or makes a mud slide from the entry to her burrow to the water for the tadpoles to slide on.