What Is The Biggest Frog In The World?
One of the biggest species of frog in the world is the South African bullfrog and also the enormous goliath frog. Both are true frogs and are found throughout eastern and southern Africa. The goliath frog probably wins the prize as the largest of the two – it can measure up to 40 centimetres from top to tail and has a span of its outstretched legs of up to 80 centimetres. Because it is so enormous, the goliath toad is a cumbersome, slow moving creature that is unable to jump at all, never mind enter frog jumping competitions like is American relatives. When it is put in danger by the approach of a predator it usually just skulks under some undergrowth and hides out of trouble. It can also retreated into deep depressions in rivers. The goliath frog is so called by the local people that live alongside it in the forest of West Africa. They believe that the bones of the goliath frog, particularly those of the hind legs, are strong good luck charms.
Like many of its frog buddies, it is listed as “Vulnerable” by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. The Goliath frog was hunted for food and for the pet trade. Now it is illegal to export more than 300 Goliath frogs per year, but they are so difficult to find that usually no more than 12 are exported yearly. The Goliath frog is also threatened with habitat loss as rain forests are cut down and rivers are dammed for electricity. Demand from collectors for these frogs has decreased, but at one time, they were sold for as much as $3000 to US collectors. Unfortunately, they don’t breed well in captivity, so efforts need to be made to protect their habitat so that they can recover their population.
