All week, we have been scouring the earth for the Worlds Smallest animals. Today, I thought we would mix it up a bit and go in the complete opposite direction. What do you mean we can’t do that? Sure, we can! I promise you will love the Goliath Frog, which just happens to be the Worlds Largest Frog. Unfortunately the population of this giant frog species are declining so if we want to catch a glimpse of them we had better hurry up and book our flight to Cameroon. Got your ticket? Let’s go!
Before we head out to the sandy-bottomed, fast-flowing rivers to look for the Goliath Frog, we should probably figure out what they look like, right? Well, for starters they are probably the only frog you will see that is about 33 cm (13″) long and weighs up to 3 kg (8 lbs). Yep, this frog is actually over a foot long, which is impressive considering I have seen dogs that are smaller than this. Other than their size, you should be able to spot a Goliath Frog by their triangle-shaped head and blunt snout. Typically, the Goliath Frog ranges in colour from dark grey to brownish-green and has tiny little bumps all over them.
Now that we know what they look like, let’s find out why they are disappearing.
Yes, like most other animals with declining populations, the Goliath Frog is helpless against an even larger predator, humans. People are constantly hunting this incredibly large frog. Why? Well, they are either used as a food source in various parts of western Africa or the Goliath Frog is sold to the pet trade. And in some extreme cases, this giant frog is used in frog races. You read that right! They actually have frog races with the unwilling participants being our endangered friends. If this wasn’t enough to destroy the population then the fact that we are clearing the forests around their river-bed homes will definitely push this species to the brink of extinction. When will we learn that our actions always have consequences?
Well, that does it for another week of Wild Facts. I had a lot of fun writing about some of the Worlds Smallest animals (and today’s Largest Frog) and I hope you enjoyed reading them. Have a great weekend and I will see you on Holiday Monday (it is Thanksgiving weekend for us Canadians!).
