The 9 largest frogs in the world

The skin of the goliath is greenish-brown on the back and whitish-yellow on the abdomen. These amphibians live along rivers deep in the rainforest. Goliath, unlike other species of the genus Conraua, cannot live in swampy and muddy ponds – it needs only clean, oxygen-rich water near waterfalls that form swift tropical rivers.

Its size allows the goliath to eat not only common frog food – insects, spiders, worms – but also larger prey like crustaceans and smaller frogs. Like other species, it swallows captured prey whole, using its tongue for grasping.

Now the number of C. go

2nd place: Bullfrog (up to 25 cm)

Rating: 4.9

The second largest frog lives in North America, in the central and southeastern part of the continent – Quebec, Ontario, the Mississippi Delta. Despite its shorter length than the goliath, this species is not much smaller in weight, also reaching up to 3 kg. The bullfrog got its name not only because of its size, but also because of its calling sounds, reminiscent of mooing. Also called the ox-frog, in Latin

The bullfrog lives near the banks of rivers, lakes, ponds, and wetlands. It feeds on rather large animals – it can swallow bats, small rodents, fish, it also eats fry, tadpoles (even of its own kind), mollusks, insects. The mooing sounds for which this species is known are made only by males, attracting females by means of throat sacs.

Unlike the goliath, the bullfrog is not endangered. Its natural range on the North American mainland is quite extensive. In addition, the species is introduced in almost all of the United States and Canada, in some South American countries, Europe, and China. The reason for the introduction is the culinary value of the frog, whose legs are considered a delicacy. In some areas where it has been introduced, it breeds uncontrollably, crowding out native species.

3rd place: Slingshot (up to 20 cm)

Rating: 4.8

Third on the list is Ceratophrys aurita, the Brazilian (or fickle) slingshot. This frog lives only in Brazil and, apart from its size, is also noted for the special growths above its eyes which resemble horns. It has a large, one-third-body head with a powerful, toothy jaw and a distinctive body shape. Skin is green or brown, covered with spots and patterns.

Lives in humid forests. Hides from sun and heat in mats during daytime, where it is not clearly visible due to its camouflaging coloration, and only comes out to hunt at night. Eats insects and worms, can also catch a bird, lizard or mouse. An interesting way a frog helps itself to swallow food: to do so, the eyeballs drop down and press on the prey, pushing it down the gullet, while the horns meanwhile cover the eye holes. Then, when the food is swallowed, the eyes return to their place.

Despite its rather narrow range, the species is not extinct – for Brazilians hornbills are as familiar as common frogs or toads for us. Fans of exotic animals keep these amphibians at home. In captivity, slingshots may refuse to eat – the owners have to force food down their throats – and behave rather quietly, rarely making themselves known. Not so they are in the wild – there males, calling the females, shouting so loudly that their voice can be heard for miles.

Ranking 4: Tiger Frog (up to 17 cm)

Rating: 4.7

The Indian tiger frog (Hoplobatrachus tigerinus) lives in Asian countries – India, Bangladesh, China – and can be found in other places where humans have introduced it, such as Madagascar. Looks quite normal, except for size – small head, massive torso. On the back there is a sharp fold, which distinguishes the species from other representatives of the genus Hoplobatrachus. Dorsum olive or gray, abdomen painted white.

Lives near reservoirs and wetlands, hiding from the sun in the ground or bushes. They hunt at night, swallowing everything in their path – worms, shrews, mice, chicks, other frogs.

The coloring of the body, usually quite ordinary, in males during the mating season changes. This happens when the monsoon rains start to fall. The body turns yellow and the throat sacs turn blue. Because frogs are plentiful, Asian swamps are colored entirely in these contrasting colors. Attracted by such magnificence and loud croaking, females arrive to places of accumulation of males, and pairs are formed.

5th place: Lake frog (up to 17 cm)

Rating: 4.6

The lake frog (Pelophylax ridibundus) lives in Europe, North Africa, Asia. Introduced to Kamchatka, where it settles near thermal springs. Superior in size to all other European and Russian frogs. Its body color is green or brown above, with a light-colored stripe running along the spine and yellowish-white below.

Lives mainly in non-flowing reservoirs – lakes, ponds, ditches – for which it gets its name. However, sometimes the lake frog can also be seen near rivers and streams. She hides from predators under water, but when there is no danger, she goes hunting herself. Active at any time of day, but more often in the middle of the day when it is warm. Eats insects and mollusks, tadpoles (even their own) and fry. Can “shoot” with its tongue, grabbing dragonflies, butterflies, flies, and jumping, swallowing an insect on the fly. It goes under water in winter and hibernates.

In Europe and Russia this is a common, widespread species. Like the grass frog, the lake frog is used for medical experiments – this was especially often done in the USSR. The Soviet Union also exported them to Europe, where they are prized for their frog legs. They even wanted to breed frogs on special farms for this purpose, which, however, failed.

Number 6: The long-legged litoria (up to 14 cm)

Rating: 4.5

This frog lives in the southern hemisphere – Australia, New Guinea, the island of Timor. Coloration on the back is bright green and lighter on the side of the belly. This color makes the litoria invisible among the foliage – it lives in the tree crowns, only occasionally descending to the ground. Characteristic white stripes from the lips, which turn pink in males during mating.

Litoria can be found in humid places such as forests, riparian bushes and plowed lands. Occurs on the plains as well as in the lowlands, up to 1,200 meters above sea level. Feeding on woody and terrestrial insects, being active at night when there is no heat and scorching sun. Reproduces in spring; females descend from trees to pools of water and spawn there. Litoria has a rather loud voice and may also meow to express fright.

The species has a fairly large range, it is not threatened with extinction. The Litoria is kept as a pet – in Australia, however, it requires a special permit.

Rank 7: Grass frog (up to 10 cm)

Rating: 4.4

It’s the most typical frog in the European part of Russia. Also found in the rest of Europe, settled in the Faroe Islands and Ireland, where it was introduced by man. It grows up to 10-11 cm in length and weighs a little over 20 g. Body color is light brown, with spots and dark stripes on the temples. It is characterized by smooth skin with small tubercles.

Grass frog can be found in forests, forest-steppe areas. It is active in the evening and at night, during the day it hides under fallen leaves and in old stumps. Eats snails, worms and insects, grasping the prey with its sticky tongue. Tadpoles feed on algae and other aquatic plants.

Grass frog reproduces in spring, just after coming out of hibernation, by laying eggs in water bodies. By the autumn, the newly hatched tadpoles mature into young frogs that reach sexual maturity at 2-3 years of age. Overwintering occurs on land, hiding in leaf litter, stumps and burrows. Grass frogs have enemies at all life stages – newts and ducks eat their eggs, tadpoles are caught by thrushes, magpies, and bugs, while adults are eaten by birds of prey, snakes, and gulls. In Europe, frogs are also eaten by people: their legs are considered a delicacy.

8th place: Purple frog (up to 9 cm)

Rating: 4.3

This species, called in Latin Nasikabatrachus sahyadrensis, is very rare and is found only in the Western Ghats in India, covering an area of 14 km2. This frog is unusual in that it lives underground, only coming out to breed. Because of its underground life, it has a peculiar body shape – it looks more like a mole with a bare skin than a frog. The body color is also non-standard – purple or mauve with a grayish-earthy hue.

For a long time, scientists had no idea that frogs could be found underground. That’s why the species was discovered relatively recently – in 2003, although locals have observed representatives of and earlier. The purple frog is known to go as deep as 1 to 3 meters. She feeds on termites which she finds in the soil by sticking her tongue down their holes. The frog cannot swallow larger prey because of its small mouth.

When the monsoons start pouring, males and females briefly – for about two weeks – come to the surface. There occurs mating, after which the females lay eggs in reservoirs. Tadpoles develop in the water, and as they mature, come out on the ground and burrow into the soil.

Now the purple frog is in danger of extinction because of deforestation in the mountain forests where it lives. With the destruction of trees, termites, the only food for Nasikabatrachus sahyadrensis, disappear as well. The species is listed in the international Red Book.

9th place: Gherkin (up to 8 cm)

Rating: 4.2

This is not a very large frog, weighing 6-20 grams when its body length reaches 8 cm. Has a smooth oval body and short limbs. It is discreetly colored gray with brown and yellow shades and large dark spots. It is so named because of the fragrant mucus on its skin, which is poisonous and therefore prevents predators from eating the garlichead. It is better not to touch it with bare hands – it can cause skin irritation.

The Chenopod is found in forests, river floodplains, on ploughed land and in vegetable gardens. They live on dry land, burrowing into the ground to the depth of half a meter during the day and coming out to hunt at night. Only comes to water bodies in the spring, during the breeding season. Eats insects and spiders as food, tadpoles eat detritus and aquatic plants. Garlic Plover overwinters in the soil, sometimes in wells and pits.

Natural enemies of garlicheads – grass snakes and other snakes, predatory birds, foxes, for tadpoles – fish. In addition, tadpoles often die from the fact that ponds dry up. However, the species is not in danger of extinction, it occurs quite often and over a large area – in Russia, European countries, the Middle East.