People are interested in the world of the fauna and by whom and how it is presented. For example, what are his biggest and smallest representatives, who lives longer and who eats the most? There is hardly a person who would not be curious to know which is the biggest frog in the world, where it lives and what are the characteristics of its vital activity. Such a creature is actually present in nature, and it is called the frog goliath (Conraua goliath).
The largest frog in the world, like many other exotic animals, hails from Africa. Rather, it lives in its western part, in the tropics of Cameroon and in Equatorial Guinea.
Goliath lives exclusively on the banks and under the canopy of river waterfalls. The largest frog in the world is an amphibian creature that needs to maintain a certain temperature of its body at all times (the temperature of the air in its environment should not be below 22 degrees). Therefore, it is vital for her to always be surrounded by moisture. Goliath avoids open, sunlit places.
When the largest goliath frog is not in the water, it sits on the rocks, merging with their gray color. In this way she gets protection from her enemies. To cling to the slippery rocks from the water, it seems difficult, but the goliath frog is sitting quite confidently on them. Special pads-suckers located on her front fingers help her in this. Participate in this process and hind legs, equipped with special membranes.
Despite its impressive size, the goliath immediately jumps into the water at the slightest sign of danger. He is able to control the territory within 40 meters, and it is rather difficult to get close to an adult goliath. After jumping into the water, the frog stays there for up to 15 minutes, then again goes to the land. In this case, the nose and eyes are first shown above the water, and then the surface of the body.
The largest frog in the world eats scorpions, insects, worms, small rodents and birds. On the hunt, she goes out at night, briskly jumping out of the water for the vending prey. It should be noted that the frog's jump can reach 3 meters in length.
Such a "record" is a very large energy consumption frog. Therefore, after the hunt, it takes a lot of time to rest in order to replenish the wasted forces.
Breeding
Females of the largest frog on the planet spawn in the offseason, when nature "rests" from the incessantly flowing water streams from the sky. For this, it needs 6 days, during which one individual can “give” up to 10 thousand eggs, each of which reaches the size of a decent pea.
A tadpole is hatching from an egg with a length of 8 mm on average. For 70 days, it should “turn” into a normal frog, having lost its tail and gills. And during this time, the tadpole can eat only plants. Interestingly, in the 45 days of his life, he grows to 48 mm, that is, weight gain and height increase occur, one might say, rapidly.
As for the parameters of an adult individual of a frog, its length can be 30 cm, and its weight - more than 3 kg.
Threats to the Giant Frog
The main threat to the life of the frog comes both directly from the person himself, and from the consequences of his "economic" in its habitats.
The goliath frog has long been the object of persecution by gourmets, collectors and other exotic lovers. In this case, some of it is caught with the aim of putting it in restaurants or in order to cook it yourself. Others hunt for a strange trophy or for an instance for their terrariums. It should be noted that all attempts to breed goliaths in captivity ended in failure.
These giant frogs also suffer from commercial deforestation of tropical forests, which are its habitat. Thus, due to the destruction of trees, the area of residence of frogs is reduced by several thousand hectares annually. In addition, the danger is for her life and unclean water resources, in which poachers throw chemicals to catch fish.
If you do not count the local tribes, whose representatives can hunt frogs to sell it to a restaurant, then tourists who are eager to try frog meat are a great danger. Another meat of these representatives is considered very useful for pregnant women.
The biggest frog (photo)
On the images it is clear that the goliath bears its name for good reason - this frog really impresses with its size. The tribes that live near its habitat, affectionately call these frogs "little boys". Because the adult goliath reaches the size of a normal infant.
It is interesting, but unlike their relatives, for whom a bog is a natural habitat, goliaths like “pass” reservations. They settle exclusively where the water is crystal clear, and this is one of the reasons so many people hunt them.
Now you know which frog is the largest in the world, as well as the peculiarities of its vital activity and everything that threatens its existence.
Appearance of giant frogs
The length of only one body of the Goliath frog, without taking into account the large long legs, is about 32 centimeters, and the body weight can reach up to 3.25 kilograms.
In appearance, these giants in general resemble ordinary frogs. Sexual dimorphism in goliath frogs is expressed in body length: females are larger than males. The skin color is greenish brown, and the inside of the paws and abdomen is whitish or yellowish. The back is covered with wrinkled skin.
Lifestyles of goliath frogs
Since goliath frogs do not tolerate dirty water, they live in fast-flowing tropical rivers and waterfalls. In addition, they are demanding on the temperature of the water. In the rivers and streams where these huge frogs live, water never drops below 22 degrees. In addition, goliaths need high humidity, so they do not come across in well-lit places.
This species of frogs lives in oxygen-enriched water.
Adults are very shy and cautious. Catching such a frog is difficult, because the goliaths have excellent vision, they notice movement over a distance of more than 40 meters. Most of the time, they prefer to hide in the rocks near the waterfalls. If there is any danger, the goliath frog instantly jumps into the frothy water, hiding from the enemy. In the water, it can be about 15 minutes, hiding among the stones at the bottom.
When the danger has passed, the frog slowly emerges, showing the tip of the muzzle above the water, and then bulging eyes, and only then the rest of the body rises. Then the frog leisurely swims to the shore, making short pushes. She jumps, climbing the rapids and ledges of stones. At the same time, the frog always chooses such a position, so that it would be convenient for it to make a jump if necessary, if danger suddenly appears.
The diet of giant frogs
They feed on goliath frogs with various insects, larvae, crustaceans, spiders, worms and other living creatures. Often their victims are smaller frogs. Goliath grabs the victim, making a sharp movement of the head or jump. Like their brethren, the goliaths grab the victim with the jaws and tongue, then press down and swallow it whole.
In addition, goliath frogs are caught from nature and taken abroad.
Population of goliath frogs
Today, goliath frogs within the range are considered an endangered species. From the 80s to the 2000s, the number of these huge frogs decreased by almost 2 times. The main threat to the population is the capture of these frogs by the local population, in order to eat their meat.
Giants-goliath - the largest of the modern frogs.
These giants have long been for people the object of persecution: they are hunted by lovers of the exotic, gourmets and numerous collectors. Being a big frog is quite difficult, the weight and growth of goliaths have become a significant problem for them, since they are slow and cumbersome. Having made only a few jumps, the frog gets tired, so it is easy to catch. These huge frogs have long been the object of attention of zoos and private collectors. A huge number of individuals were captured from nature and taken to the USA, where jump competitions were held between the goliaths.
And of course, a huge damage to the population is caused by the destruction of their habitat habitat, with the goal of farming and deforestation of tropical forests. The habitat of goliath frogs is annually reduced by several thousand hectares due to the destruction of trees. About half of the natural habitats of goliaths are in serious danger. In addition, environmental pollution is a negative factor: poachers pollute water with chemicals for fishing.
For goliaths that can live and lay eggs only in the purest water, this is an environmental disaster.
These frogs are considered to be pure animals, their meat is sweet to the taste, moreover, it is considered useful for pregnant women.
Goliath frogs are in huge quantities supplied to local food markets and restaurants. For a large individual restaurants pay a pretty good price.
It is worth noting that attempts at breeding goliath frogs in artificial conditions end
failures, which is why these defenseless giants need to be cared for by humans.
WWF is trying to preserve the habitat of goliath frogs, which simply melts before our eyes. Recently, 3 zakaznikazhes were created, it is also planned to establish control over the basins of several rivers. If these measures are implemented, it will save unique huge frogs and change the situation of the population in the direction of increasing.
Frog Beelzebub / Beelzebufo ampinga
Let's start with the fossil species, the remains of which were discovered in Madagascar in the Late Cretaceous period, about 60-70 million years ago.
The fragments of the skeleton was able to recreate the appearance of the form, as well as establish the size. At length, this fossil giant reached 41 cm, and weighed about 4.5 kg.
It is believed that she was quite aggressive, attacking from ambush at small animals. Given the size of the frog, it can be assumed that in addition to lizards and small mammals, there were newborn dinosaurs in its diet.
Frog goliath / Conraua goliath
With a body length of 32 cm, it is the largest frog in the world today. Her hind limbs are so strong that a powerful frog jumps 3 meters in length. Note that the largest amphibian, the Chinese salamander, reaches a length of 2 m.
The weight of a frog with such dimensions is more than 3 kg, and the giant frog lives in Africa. As in many species, the female is much larger than the male, and outwardly the goliath is no different from ordinary frogs, but if you do not take into account the size.
It feeds on insects, small crustaceans, spiders. At the moment of danger, it hides under water, and can be under water for 10 to 15 minutes.
Bullfrog / Lithobates catesbeianus
The family of true frogs Lithobates catesbeianus is one of the largest species, since adults grow to 15-25 cm in length, and this is a rather heavy frog, weighing from 800 to 900 g.
The huge frog is found in South and North America, in Europe and Asia, and in Canada, the USA and China has long been an important commercial value.
There are some species differences, depending on the habitat. So, Asian and Australian species are different from their American counterparts. A rather aggressive amphibian that can eat small alligators.
Brazilian slingshot / Ceratophrys aurita
Because of the unusual color of the body of these inhabitants of the Amazon, the Slingshot is also called changeable, and they grow up to 23 cm in length. They are easily identified by a peculiar process over the sockets.
This species has very powerful jaws, capable of chewing small rodents, birds, as well as other representatives of the amphibian world. Sexual dimorphism is also observed, in which the female differs from the male in large size.
Waiting for the victim, Brazilian slingshots burrow into the ground, leaving only the nose and eyes above the surface. Interestingly, these animals do not jump, but walk on the ground.
Tiger frog / hoplobatrachus tigerinus
In the vast world of amphibians, these inhabitants of the swamps of Southeast Asia are distinguished not only by their large size, but also by their exotic coloring.
Their total length ranges from 15 to 17 cm, and the color varies from gray to olive green with dark spots. A yellow stripe runs along the back, and during the mating season, the males inflate with two blue balls around their neck during croaking.
The local population consumes these animals for food, and in the vast expanses of Asia there are even farms where tiger beauties are bred.
Lake Frog / Pelophylax ridibundus
But this representative of the family is one of the most common on the planet, and is considered the largest frog in Russia.
Adult individuals grow up to 13 cm, and their weight is just over 200 grams. It is easy to recognize by its elongated body and slightly pointed muzzle. Through the whole body passes a bright strip of green. Color easily allows the frog to merge with the surrounding nature.
In colder latitudes, when the onset of cold weather hibernates, and in non-freezing waters, they lead an active lifestyle all year round.
Common Frog / Rana temporaria
Medium in size, growing from 6 to 10 cm, the frog lives throughout Europe and in Asia. By population, it is the most common in Europe, and you can meet them from the islands of Britain to remote corners of Siberia.
Note that in Ireland this is the only species of frogs, others have not taken root. But in the Crimea and on the Mediterranean coast you will not meet them. Perhaps it’s too dry and hot for them.
In nature, it identifies 4-6 subspecies, differing among themselves by insignificant traits, formed depending on the habitat.
Purple Frog / Nasikabatrachus sahyadrensis
Having met such a miracle of nature, not immediately and realize that it is a frog. The squat, rounded body has an unusual purple or purple color, and the limbs, unlike other species, are turned outward.
They grow up to 9 cm, but the average size usually does not exceed 7 cm. Adult males are usually painted in purple-lilac color, trying to merge with the ground.
In 2002, one of the publishers of the Chinese online magazine introduced this frog in the Top 20 of the ugliest creatures living on the planet, so that even a photo of this “beauty” can scare.
Garlic Mitt / Pelobates fuscus
The second name of the species is Fathead-headed Travyanka, and this large frog belongs to a large genus of Gesnochnits, and these frogs live practically throughout Europe and in Anterior Asia.
In length they grow up to 8 cm, and weigh from 6 to 25 g. It differs from its counterparts in that it has a vertical pupil, and a peculiar calcaneal tubercle of spatulate shape.
Easily adapted to any environmental conditions, and can live in both deciduous and coniferous forests, and leads mostly terrestrial lifestyle.
From the world of frogs we turn to the kingdom of toads, which also sometimes strike with their size.
Toad Aga / Rhinella marina
Zoological reference books and Wikipedia report that Aga is the largest toad in the world, and the longest specimen recorded in wildlife was 24 cm.
The mass of such a tropical giant is more than 1 kg, and the skin is all warty, covered with small tubercles. Males, as usual, are slightly smaller than females.
These toads live in Central and Latin America, and are considered the most poisonous of the toad family.
Cane Toads / Bufo marinus
According to the species name, it is clear that this species of toads chose reed forests as the place of their location. The fact is that large temperature drops in such places are ideal for blood circulation and heat exchange of amphibians.
The size of these amphibians varies from 15 to 23 cm, and the largest copy, nicknamed "The Prince", weighed 3 kg, and was 54 cm long. Now it is an exhibit of the museum of natural science, but, in fact, an exception to the rules.
Unlike relatives, they have developed hind limbs, due to which they jump superbly.
Blomberg Toad / Rhaebo blombergi
Another inhabitant of South America was named after the Swedish zoologist Rolf Blomberg, who in 1950 opened the world to this wonderful view of toads.
Along with Aga, it is considered one of the largest. After all, the length of the Blomberg's toad can reach 24 cm. It lives at an altitude of 3,000 to 500 m above sea level along the coast of the Pacific Ocean.
Leads an active lifestyle with the onset of twilight and at night, and during the day trying to hide from prying eyes.
Green and brown toads
These species of toads firmly entrenched in 3rd place, because their length reaches more than 20 cm, and in width about 15 cm.
They settled in Central Europe, in the south of Russia, and prefer quiet ponds, peat bogs, silt streams. The color of these amphibians is amazing. Usually they are grassy in color with characteristic white stripes, but there are also individuals with a lilac color.
The view is, of course, unappealing, since the whole body is covered with warts, but they will not cause any harm to health. On the contrary, in the East they are bred for pest control.
Mongolian Toad / Pseudepidalea raddei
Свое видовое наименование Pseudepidalea raddei это земноводное получило в честь русского ученого Густава Радде.
Довольно крупная жаба, вырастающая до 9 см, обитает на Юге Сибири, Дальнем Востоке и в странах Юго-Восточной Азии. В Бурятии Монгольская жаба занесена в Красную книгу.
Окрас изменчив, в зависимости от среды обитания, а туловище плотное с немного заостренной головой. Верхняя часть туловища вся покрыта небольшими бородавками.
Did you know that in some countries frogs are eaten? And often people eat them still alive. About this and other dishes of the world in which food is eaten live, read the article on our website thebiggest.ru. In addition, you can learn a lot of interesting facts about frogs by clicking on the link.
Among the frog world of frogs, the smallest, but small sizes compensate for their incredible color. But among them there are relatively large specimens.
Leggy Litoria / Litoria infrafrenata
In tropical forests off the coast of water bodies, an unusual amphibian from the family of tree frogs with long legs can be found. This feature was noted by zoologists in the name of the species.
This frog grows up to 13 cm in length, and the color of the body and head is surprisingly bright grassy green. But their belly is light.
He spends most of his life in the trees, and most recently discovered that they can’t sleep a mountainous climate, and they settle at an altitude of 1,400 m above sea level.
Cuban frog / Osteopilus septentrionalis
The largest in the world of frogs, so there were instances, the body length of which was 14 cm, although on average the adults of the Cuban frog grow to 9-12.5 cm.
Appearance is quite elegant, thanks to thin elongated fingers, at the ends of which are located a roundish-shaped sucker. They allow frogs to move easily, and most of their lives are spent in dense reed beds of water bodies.
Breed in the rainy season. The female lays from 100 to 1 thousand eggs, and the larva of the tadpole is born in a few hours.
Marsupial frogs / Gastrotheca
A fairly common type of tailless amphibians, whose body length ranges from 3 to 10 cm. The head is moderately large, and in some species pointed or rounded.
Especially love to settle in tropical rainforests, sometimes reaching a height of 4000 meters above sea level. With the help of suction cups on the lamps they freely climb trees.
The diet of marsupial tree frogs mainly consists of insects. Some species hunt flying insects, high-jumping, but in most cases they are content with those insects that are found on the leaves of trees.
Finally
So we looked at the largest representatives of the frog world, and found out how much the largest toad weighs, and which frog is considered the largest among its small relatives. Such diversity proves once again that nature is a creator with a rich imagination, creating though not quite attractive, but amazing creatures.
1. Suriname pipa
This frog with a funny name surprises not only with its appearance, but also with its breeding feature. She lives in South America, mainly in the forests of Amazonia. The view is rather large - adult pips can be 20 cm in length. The body of the Suriname pipa is so flat that from a distance it can be completely mistaken for a piece of wood. Her eyes are small. Pipa does not croak like ordinary frogs, but snaps the bones in the throat to bark a partner.
When the male attaches to the female, she jumps out of the water with him and at each such jump releases eggs, which are miraculously embedded in the pores of the back skin. The pipa's female can be called the most caring frog in the world - for 2.5 months, she literally drags a crowd of over a hundred babies on her hump until they hatch through her skin.
2. Glass Frog
The next unusual jump was a glass frog. At first glance, it does not see anything remarkable - the usual brown-green frog. But if you take a closer look at her, you will notice that her body is translucent, especially the skin. Therefore, through her on the belly of the frog, her insides are visible. Sunlight, reflected from the surrounding appearance, passes through the body of the frog, making it less visible to enemies. This is one of the ingenious ways of nature to mask its creatures. But he did not help the glass frog turn into an endangered species. These gentle creatures live in Central and South America, laying eggs on woody leaves near reservoirs, since tadpoles after hatching, they develop their development, as usual, in water.
3. Turtle Frog
In third place was an amazing frog turtle, looking like some kind of mutant with a round body or an alien. She lives in Western Australia. With her powerful, strong legs, she ruins the termites and quickly digs into the sand, where she lays eggs. This species of frogs has a peculiarity in terms of reproduction - there is no tadpole stage here, a “ready” frog is already formed in the egg.
4. Mossy Frog
The next original representative of wahs lives in the tropical jungles of North Vietnam. Mossy frogs look very beautiful, so there are many fans who breed them in their home terrariums. Such a "princess frog" and is, respectively, - up to $ 75.
In their natural habitat, these beauties use the skill of their makeup, not to attract admirers, but for the same disguise. Having noticed some movement from a distance, you might think that a piece of moss came to life. Thanks to the large round suction pads located on the fingers, mossy frogs scramble across rocks or trees and it is no coincidence that they stick their eggs to the trunks and branches of trees and cave walls so that the hatched tadpoles flop directly into the water.
5. Goliath Frog
The name says everything about this species - there is no more frog in the world. In length, it can reach 33 cm, and in weight - 3.25 kg, this is an incomparable heavyweight in the world of frogs, which is twice the size of its closest competitor from the same Africa - also a rather big bull frog. Goliaths live in Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea. If many types of frogs are not too fastidious in matters of water purity, then just not goliath - give him the purest! As a rule, they like to sit near waterfalls, on ledges of rocks, like monuments. But it is worth the goliath to sense the danger, as he headlong rushes into the water jets. Powerful muscular hind legs allow the goliath to make giant leaps up to 3 meters.
Its food is small relatives, snakes, worms, crustaceans. Unfortunately, the close attention of a person to such a big goliath frog put her on the verge of extinction.
6. Tiger Frog
The color of male tiger frogs in the mating season is very remarkable - the skin is bright yellow with two bright blue resonators. They have two rows of inclined powerful teeth. They live in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Afghanistan. They were brought to Madagascar and the Maldives, where they became an invasive species. Prefer wetland freshwater places, usually avoid forest and coastal zones. Mostly they lead a nocturnal lonely lifestyle, preferring to settle in the bushes near water sources. However, they do not spend much time in the water, preferring to hide in the vegetation along the banks of the reservoir.
7. Brazilian slingshot
In the endless tropical forests of the Amazonia there lives an unusual amphibian - the Brazilian slingshot. This horned toad is an outstanding master of reincarnation. The color of her body allows her to dissolve in the environment, which makes her a lucky hunter. She buries herself in the foliage, exposing only her head, and patiently waits for the victim, blithely approaching her. Adults of the Brazilian slingshot can be as long as 20 cm.
This aggressive frog even rushes at people, so the locals walk in rubber boots to protect themselves from its not weak bites. But even such a reputation does not stop some lovers of exotic living creatures from starting Brazilian slingshots as pets.
8. Hairy Frog
The hairy frog was called for thin and closely spaced skin patches 1–1.5 cm long, located on the hind legs and sides of the frog’s body, somewhat resembling wool. They occur only in males and only in the mating period. Why does the frog need such a "wool" is not yet known to scientists. They have one more amazing feature - to protect against predators, they break bones on the toes of their legs, which pierce their skin and turn into a kind of sharp claws. The habitat of the hairy frog is in the west of Central Africa.
9. Purple (purple) frog
This is one of the ugliest creatures on earth. And scientists discovered this frog quite recently - in 2003 in the Western Ghats (mountains in India). It belongs to the category of living minerals. The purple frog has a miserable habitat - only 14 square meters. km They lead a very reclusive life - they spend most of their time underground, and therefore they look like more moles. On the surface, they appear only a couple of weeks a year during the mating period, which falls on the monsoon period. Purple ants and termites feed on purple frogs, looking for them under the ground.
10. Egg Farming Toad
These frog relatives have a very unusual breeding method for amphibians. They do not lay eggs, like most frogs, eggs ripen right in the mother's body, and after some time, fully formed tiny toads appear on the light. There are large glands in the ovoviviparous frogs on the body, near the eyes and paws, which have a bright color that contrasts strongly with the color of the rest of the body. Thanks to this, the toads look very elegant.
