Goliath Frog DietĪdult frogs are carnivorous. They can also be found in zoos around the world, such as the San Diego Zoo and the San Fransisco Zoo, both located in California. Their natural habitats are freshwater and tropical environments, within the rainforest and near rivers. The range of their habitat is limited, existing only in the regions of Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea. This is likely the reason these creatures evolved to be so big. They are able to move heavy rocks to create nests, sometimes over four pounds. They can leap large distances, up to ten feet, despite their tremendous size. These amphibians can swim very fast but will often wait around for prey to catch with their long tongue. The related species are Conraua alleni (Allen’s slippery frog), Conraua beccarii, Conraua crassipes, Conraua derooi (Togo slippery frog), and Conraua robusta (Cameroon slippery frog). There are five other species related to these frogs, that belong to the Conrauidae family. Their weight can vary between 1.3lbs (about three times as heavy as a hamster) and 7.2lbs (about half the weight of a bowling ball). As a mature adult, these frogs can reach up to 32 centimeters long, which is six times the height of a golf tee.
Their coloring helps to camouflage themselves with their environment. The ventral coloring can be either yellow-green or yellow-orange. The dorsal coloring is usually a brownish-green color with various spots. The upper side of the animal’s body is called the dorsal side, while the bottom side is referred to as the ventral side.
These frogs have bumpy skin that contains glands and which they use to drink water and obtain oxygen. See all of our entertaining and insightful animal articles. Toad vs Frog: The Six Key Differences Explained.Additionally, African bullfrogs hibernate in the dry season whereas goliath frogs do not. Another example of how these species differ is the loud croak an African bullfrog makes. African bullfrogs typically weigh just over two pounds and measure between four and nine inches in length. There are, however, more than a few distinguishing differences between these two frogs.įirst, although the African bullfrog is considered one of the largest frogs, it is significantly smaller than the goliath frog. For example, both of these frogs are native to Africa, are carnivorous, and are much larger than many other frog species. The Goliath frog is sometimes confused with the African bullfrog due to some similarities the two species share. The word goliath is derived from the Latin goliath, from the Hebrew word golyath, meaning “a giant.” Likely, the most well-known use of goliath refers to the Philistine giant David defeated in the old testament of the bible. The word conraua is thought to come from a German man named Gustav Conrau, who may have collected the first Conraua robusta, otherwise known as the Cameroon slippery frog. It belongs to the phylum Chordata, class Amphibia in the family Conrauidae.
The scientific name of the frog is Conraua goliath. The common name of this frog is Goliath Frog, with alternate names Giant Slippery Frog and Goliath Bullfrog.