WHAT IS THE WORLD'S LARGEST FROG?

What is the world's largest frog?

Frogs are an ancient, diverse and largely carnivorous group of amphibians whose origins date back to approximately 265 million years ago. They are widely distributed, ranging from the tropics to the subarctic regions, although the greatest concentration of frog species is found in the world's tropical rainforests.

African bullfrog - http://i.ytimg.com/

In the United Kingdom the largest frog (and arguably the only true native species as the pool frog is believed by many to be an introduced species from Europe) is the common frog - Rana temporaria.It has a body length of 6 to 9 centimetres and an average weight of 22.7 grams.

However in the United Kingdom it is sometimes possible to come face to face with an African bullfrog - Pyxicephalus adspersus, a common pet which is often illegally released into the wild. Male African bullfrogs easily put our native frogs quite literally in the shade by exceeding weights of 2kg and with a body length of up to 23 cm.

However when it comes to being the world's largest frog the African bull frog is nothing more than small potatoes. The holder of that particular title is the magnificent Goliath frog - Conraua goliath.

The goliath frog

Goliath frog - https://cdn1.lockerdome.com/

Native to the relatively small habitat range of Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea, the goliath frog is the king of its genus with a weight of up to 3.25 kg and a body length of up to an impressive 32 cm. It can live up to 15 years in the wild, although in captivity, they can live up to 21 years.

Unfortunately the goliath frog is currently classified as an endangered species. On top of being preyed upon by snakes, Nile crocodiles, and Nile monitor lizards it is also considered to be a source of food in some parts of west Africa. Furthermore they are taken from the wild in large number for collectors, zoos and animal dealers to be sold as pets. Once in captivity they are not known to breed.

The largest frog ever to have lived!

The world's largest frog

If you are looking for the largest frog to have ever lived then you will need to travel back in time to approximately 70 million years ago. Commonly known as 'Beelzebufo' or 'Devil frog' it was a rather intimidating creature approximately the size of a beach ball. Considerably larger than today's goliath frog, the fossil record predicts a mind-boggling length of 41 centimeters and a weight of approximately 4.5 kilograms.

Research on the fossilised skeletons of the Beelzebufo have shown that it sported a protective shield and powerful jaws. Scientists believe that it is likely that the Beelzebufo was both large enough and strong enough to have caught and fed on hatchling dinosaurs

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