Largest Frog
Out of over 4,700 frog species, there is one frog that stands out in the crowd as the world’s largest living frog; the Goliath. Aptly named, the Goliath frog can reach lengths of approximately 1 foot and weigh around 7-10 pounds.
The Goliath frog is found only in dense rainforests of Africa in the regions of Cameroon and Guinea. It is specific to these areas because of the food that is required by the tadpoles, which is only known to exist in Cameroon and Guinea’s fast moving waters. While attempts have been made multiple times to export the creature for exhibition in zoos and for private ownerships, the Goliath does not fare well in captivity, and has not been known to breed in captivity. It doesn’t stop people from wanting to own this curiosity, the largest frog known to exist today.
Early in 2008, scientists discovered fossil remains of a distant relative of the current day pac-man frog that lived about 70 million years ago. The find in Madagascar is thought to be the largest frog ever to have existed on earth. The frog would have weighed in around 10 pounds, and measured about 16 inches in length, surpassing the size of the Goliath frog of today. A strange fact is that the pac-man frog is indigent to South America, not Madagascar; leading scientists to believe that at one time Madagascar and South America may have been land linked. Frogs are not physically equipped or able to cross large bodies of water, so the probability of a land connection between the two areas is strengthened by this recent discovery.
Being the largest frog in the world comes with hazards. As is the nature of extremely large creatures, they are generally confined to a specific area, without ranging beyond certain boundaries to hunt or reproduce. This represents a huge risk for the Goliath, since rain forests are diminishing greatly at an alarming rate. Trees and plants being cut down to make room for more villages, the changing landscapes that alter water supply all attribute to the sadly decreasing number of Goliaths; the largest frog being reduced to the smallest of measures.
The Goliath frog is also continually hunted by humans because of its novel size and nature. While Africa has restricted its export to 300 per year, the overall numbers of this largest frog still suffers. Thankfully, the goliath is an elusive catch for collectors, which may help to preserve the amphibian.
Having a distinction of being the largest frog is not necessary an honor. Because of its celebrity status, the frog is allowed very little anonymity. Among the entire frog species, when the question of size comes up, the Goliath alone comes to mind.