Goliath
Frogs
by Caroline Chang
The
largest frogs on earth
Physical
Characteristics
- Head and body length ~ up to 12.5 inches
- Length
with legs stretched out ~ about 2.5 feet
- Weight ~ up to 7.2 pounds
- On top, the frog is greenish brown, and its
underside is yellowish
- The Goliath Frog's second toe is the longest.
Lifespan
Habitat
- Goliath Frogs live in fast moving rivers and
streams with sandy bottoms
- These river systems are located in dense rain
forests
- The frogs are found in Equatorial Guinea and
Cameroon, both countries in West Africa.
Food
- Adults are carnivores that eat insects,
crustaceans, fish, and amphibians.
- Tadpoles (baby frogs) are herbivores that eat water
plants found only near waterfalls and in rapids.
- Some indigenous people eat Goliath Frogs
Reproduction
- Mating season for the Goliath Frog is July and
August
- Reproduce sexually
- Several hundred eggs are included in each egg mass,
which are attached to plants growing on the bottom of the river
- It takes 85 to 90 days for tadpoles to develop
Uses
- Many collectors catch the Goliath Frog because of
its large size
- At one point, Goliath Frogs were used as pets and
were imported into the United States for jumping contests.
- Indigenous tribes in
West Africa use the Goliath Frog for certain types of medicine and food
Did You Know???
- Goliath Frogs are mute ~ they do not make noise
- They were only discovered in 1906
- They can leap 10 feet
- Goliath Frogs do not breed or survive well in
captivity
Pictures
A Goliath Frog next to a baby deer
Links to other
worthwhile sites about Goliath Frogs:
