Page 31 - World of Animals - Issue #29

5 0 f a b u l o us f r o gs
50 fabulous frogs

BELOW Penguins are able to
BELOW
consume salt water, without acs,
Goliath frogs have no vocal s
5. Prehistoric any adverse effects

and instead make long, whistling
noises by holding their mouths open
frogs were the
size of beach
balls
The super-sized devil frog
(Beezlebufo ampinga) of the
Late Cretaceous is the largest
frog ever discovered. It grew
up to 41 centimetres (16
inches) long, weighed some
4.5 kilograms (10 pounds) and
baby dinosaurs likely numbered
among its prey.
6. One tree
frog is the last
of its kind
The only known surviving
Rabbs fringe-limbed tree frog
(Ecnomiohyla rabborum) is 32cm
a male kept at Zoo Atlanta,
Georgia. It has not been seen in
the wild since 2007 and the last
female died in 2009, so extinction 7.7mm
seems sadly inevitable.
7. Rain frogs GOLIATH FROG
are born Conraua goliath
Class Amphibia
pip-squeaks
When the going gets tough,
rotund rain frogs (Breviceps)
from southern Africa don’t really Territory Cameroon,
have the physique to make a Equatorial Guinea

Diet Dragonflies, worms,
quick getaway. Instead, they smaller frogs

inflate themselves into a ball Lifespan 15 years
shape and make a high-pitched Adult weight Up to 3.3kg
(7.3lb)
distress call. Conservation Status
PAEDOPHRYNE
8. There are AMAUENSIS
frogs as loud as ENDANGERED Paedophryne amauensis
Class Amphibia
lawnmowers 10. Goliath
A national icon of Puerto
in size, it makes up for in volume. frogs are the Territory Papua New Guinea
Rico, what the common coquí
(Eleutherpdactylus coqui) lacks
Diet Mites
Lifespan Unknown
Its call can reach 80-90 decibels largest on Earth Adult weight Unknown
Conservation Status
up close – about the same level
as a vacuum cleaner. ABOVE
The tiny Paedophyrne
NOT EVALUATED
9. Some These frogs didn’t get their giant-sounding name amauensis is dwarfed
by a US dime
for nothing. About the size of a domestic cat and
tomatoes can around 40 times longer than the smallest frog (see 11. The smallest frog

fight back right), goliaths are found by fast-flowing rivers and fits on a Smartie

waterfalls in the tropical forests of western Africa.
If its bright orange body isn’t Unlike most frog species, the male is bigger than
enough to deter potential the female, and it’s thought this may be down to At the opposite end of the scale to the goliath frog is
e
, w
e m
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r h
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hen
w
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predators, when threatened, , their habits during the mating season, when males Paedophryne amauensis, native to Papua New Guinea. As
r
t
eda

h
r
t
battle for territory and construct nests out of small
g
Madagascan tomato frogs b a t t l e f o r t e r r i t o r y a n d c o n s t r u c t n e s t s o u t o f s m a l l well as being the most diminutive frog, it is also the smallest
o f
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c
( (Dyscophus) are able to produce rocks. As well as being seen as a tasty meal for known amphibian. It wasn’t formally described until 2012,
o
D
u
crocodiles and snakes, goliath frogs are also on the
a noxious, glue-like substance crocodiles and snakes, goliath frogs are also on the but considering that adults average a mere 7.7 millimetres
a n
x
i
l
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, g
o
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k
menu for local people. It’s thought a combination
w h i c h a c t s a s a n i r r i t a n t menu for local people. It’s thought a combination (0.3 inches) long, that’s no surprise. They live well-hidden in
which acts as an irritant..
of over-hunting and capturing for the pet trade has
of over-hunting and capturing for the pet trade has the leaf litter of the forest floor, feeding on tiny bugs. Their

led to its endangered status and efforts are now
led to its endangered status and efforts are now peeping calls are akin to those of insects – this is thought to
underway to protect it.
underway to protect it. be another reason that they were overlooked for so long.
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