Frog-Goliath - silent giant on the verge of extinction

The frog-goliath belongs to the class of amphibians, a group of amphibians. It dwells only in Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea (Africa). Fully justifies its name, since its weight can reach 3.5 kg (and according to some data up to 6 kg), and the length of the body reaches up to 32 cm without taking into account the paws. This frog is the largest known to date.

Outwardly similar to an ordinary frog. Females are larger than males. Skin color on the back and head is greenish-brown, and the abdomen and paws on the inside are yellowish or cream. The skin on the back is wrinkled. Its paws are larger in size than the male palm. This frog does not make any sounds, since there is no voice bag in her throat. The one who was lucky enough to hold it in his hands, says: the feeling is like holding a rubber ball filled with damp sand.

The Goliath frog lives only in the purest water enriched with oxygen, unlike its relatives who can live in swamps. Such criteria correspond to full-flowing tropical rivers with waterfalls. To the temperature of the water in the pond, it is also demanding, it is necessary that it does not fall below 22 ⁰ C. The humidity of air on land needs high. She does not favor places that are too sunlit, prefers shaded areas. Here is such a frog-goliath frog. The photo shows it well.

Adult individuals are very cautious, even timid, catching them is not easy. They have beautiful eyesight, the territory is viewed at 40 m, noting any changes. For most of the day, the Goliath frog is sitting quietly in a spot near the waterfall. At any risk, she jumps into a violent stream of water. Under the water can be up to 15 minutes, hiding on the river bottom among the stones.

At the end of time, the Goliath frog emerges, but does not show itself completely, only the eyes and the tip of the nose peep out of the water. If she finds that the danger has passed, then by several jerky movements reaches the shore and is selected from the water. Jumping overland, climbs on the ledges of stones or settles down just below the waterfall. The pose takes a comfortable one for the next jump, which will be done in case of danger or when a prey is detected.

The Goliath frog feeds on various insects and their larvae, worms, crustaceans, small amphibians, etc. Having grasped the prey with jaws and tongue, it first squeezes it, and then swallows it without snapping it.

Goliath is a frog that breeds in the dry season. The female lays about 10 thousand eggs in 5-6 days. Each egg in diameter reaches 0.6 cm. The transformation of the egg into an adult takes place in 70 days. Hatching from the egg, the tadpole is only 0.8 cm, at the age of 45 days the length of its body reaches 4.8 cm. At this time, the tadpole converts into a frog by dropping its tail.

To date, the Goliath frog is on the verge of extinction. This is due to the fact that the local population eagerly uses frog-goliath for food. Restaurants are ready to pay 5 dollars for each large individual. They say that they have a sweetish taste. Forests, in the depths of which the frog lives on the banks of rivers, are cut down. In addition, the goliaths are exported abroad, depriving them of their habitual environment, and are sold to various zoos in the world and to private collectors. Somehow in the US they tried to breed goliaths in captivity, but the plan failed, since it was problematic to reproduce the conditions required for their life.