Biggest Frog
The Biggest Frog - Bigger Than Kermit?
There are several answers to what the biggest frog in world is. Believe if or not, it's not Kermit, though if you take into account the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade inflatable Kermit, that might be the correct answer. In reality, there are two candidates for the "real" biggest frog award, one is alive, and the other is not.
The Frog From Hell - Let's take a look at the dead one first, as it makes for interesting reading. The largest frog ever found is a fossil, fossil remains to be precise. It has been determined that this frog, which lived in what is present day Madagascar, weighed close to 10 pounds, an estimate based upon the size of its bones, and was nearly a foot and a half long, not counting the legs. Its general appearance, including armor plating, and an extremely wide mouth, leads scientists to believe it was a voracious predator, and has consequently been nicknamed the "Frog from Hell" and the "Devil Frog". The Frog from Hell has near relatives living in South America, which has scientists puzzled. The South American species are also fairly large in size and noted for their extra large mouths. They are however, not armored. The South American bullfrog is in fact one of the largest species of frogs in the world, but is not quite the size of the biggest frog.
Enter The Goliath Frog - The American bullfrog is also a good sized frog, but pales in comparison to both the South American bullfrog, and the world's biggest living frog, the aptly named Goliath frog of West Africa. The Goliath frog, as imposing as it is, being the size of a large rabbit, and weighing in at about 7 pounds maximum, is just over 2/3rds the size of the fossilized devil frog. Not a great deal is known about this biggest frog. Although it has been exported to many countries, including many zoos, its tropical and very humid native environment can be difficult to replicate, and the frog has not fared well or reproduced in captivity. To study the Goliath frog up close and personal, one really needs to travel to Equatorial Guinea or Cameroon, the two countries where it is found. Even if is slow moving as some sources may claim, its main means of self defense appears to be an amazing ability to hide and remain hidden, and in searching for this frog, as large as it is, one is apt to come up empty handed.
To Jump, Or Not To Jump - Details about the Goliath frog are therefore somewhat sketchy, though all agree it is the biggest. One source notes that it can be difficult to catch, if you want to make a meal of frog legs (one leg would probably suffice), as it can jump 10 feet in a single bound. Another source describes the biggest frog as cumbersome, very slow moving, and unable to jump at all. One thing that most do agree on it the noise the frog makes. One might expect a king sized croak, one that would shake the tree tops. The fact is, the Goliath frog is a very silent frog, it is not known to croak or make any other distinguishable sound at all.
A Frog's Contribution To Natural History - A side note on the worlds all-time biggest frog, the fossilized one in Madagascar. The fact that it's nearest relatives live in South America, and not on the South African continent, lends some credence to the belief that millions of years ago there was a land bridge between Madagascar and South America, as even though frogs are excellent swimmers, they are not so good at long distance salt water swimming.