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The goliath frog, Conraua goliath is the largest extant anuran on Earth
Earth

Earth is the third planet from the Sun. Earth is the largest of the terrestrial planets in the Solar System in diameter, mass and density. It is also referred to as the World and Wiktionary:Terra.Note that by International Astronomical Union convention, the term "Terra" is used for naming extensive land masses, rather...
. It can grow up to 13 inches (33 cm) in length from snout
Snout

The snout, or muzzle, is the protruding portion of an animal's face, consisting of its nose, mouth, and jaw....
 to vent
Vent

Vent may refer to:*Volcano, an opening in the Earth's surface which allows molten rock, ash and gases to escape**Deep sea vent, or "black smoker", a type of hydrothermal vent found on the ocean floor...
, and weighs up to 8 lb
Pound (mass)

The pound or pound-mass is a Units of measurement of massused in the Imperial unit, United States customary units and other systems of measurement....
 (3 kg). This animal has a relatively small habitat range, mainly in West Africa
West Africa

West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of the African continent. Geopolitically, the United Nations subregion of Western Africa includes the following 16 countries distributed over an area of approximately 5 million square km:...
 (near Gabon
Gabon

Gabon is a country in west central Africa sharing borders with the Gulf of Guinea to the west, Equatorial Guinea to the northwest, and Cameroon to the north, with the Republic of the Congo curving around the east and south....
). Its numbers are dwindling due to habitat destruction and collection for the pet trade.

goliath frog can live up to 15 years.Goliath frogs eat insects and smaller frogs.






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The goliath frog, Conraua goliath is the largest extant anuran on Earth
Earth

Earth is the third planet from the Sun. Earth is the largest of the terrestrial planets in the Solar System in diameter, mass and density. It is also referred to as the World and Wiktionary:Terra.Note that by International Astronomical Union convention, the term "Terra" is used for naming extensive land masses, rather...
. It can grow up to 13 inches (33 cm) in length from snout
Snout

The snout, or muzzle, is the protruding portion of an animal's face, consisting of its nose, mouth, and jaw....
 to vent
Vent

Vent may refer to:*Volcano, an opening in the Earth's surface which allows molten rock, ash and gases to escape**Deep sea vent, or "black smoker", a type of hydrothermal vent found on the ocean floor...
, and weighs up to 8 lb
Pound (mass)

The pound or pound-mass is a Units of measurement of massused in the Imperial unit, United States customary units and other systems of measurement....
 (3 kg). This animal has a relatively small habitat range, mainly in West Africa
West Africa

West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of the African continent. Geopolitically, the United Nations subregion of Western Africa includes the following 16 countries distributed over an area of approximately 5 million square km:...
 (near Gabon
Gabon

Gabon is a country in west central Africa sharing borders with the Gulf of Guinea to the west, Equatorial Guinea to the northwest, and Cameroon to the north, with the Republic of the Congo curving around the east and south....
). Its numbers are dwindling due to habitat destruction and collection for the pet trade.

Life history

The goliath frog can live up to 15 years.Goliath frogs eat insects and smaller frogs. These frogs have acute hearing but no vocal sac
Vocal sac

The vocal sac is the flexible membrane of skin possessed by most male frogs. The purpose of the vocal sac is usually as an amplification of their mating or advertisement call....
.

Habitat

The goliath frog is normally found in fast-flowing river
River

A river is a natural stream of water, usually freshwater, flowing toward an ocean, a lake, or another stream. In some cases a river flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water....
s with sand
Sand

Sand is a naturally occurring granular material composed of finely divided rock and mineral particles.As the term is used by geologists, sand particles range in diameter from 0.0625 to 2 millimeters....
y bottoms in the West African countries of Cameroon
Cameroon

The Republic of Cameroon is a unitary state of central and western Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west; Chad to the northeast; the Central African Republic to the east; and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the Republic of the Congo to the south....
 and Equatorial Guinea
Equatorial Guinea

The Republic of Equatorial Guinea is a Spanish-speaking country located in Central Africa. With an area of 28,000 km2 it is one of the smallest countries in continental Africa, having a population estimated at half a million....
. These rivers are usually clear and highly oxygenated. Their actual range spans from the last 125 miles (200 km) of the Sanaga basin in Cameroon to the north to the last 30 miles (50 km) of the Benito River
Benito River

The Benito is a river in Equatorial Guinea. It is known locally as the Mbini River....
 basin in Equatorial Guinea to the south. The river systems in which these frogs live are often found in dense, extremely humid areas with relatively high temperatures.

Reproduction

Not much is known about the goliath frog's reproduction; however, some African scholars have started to do more research for medical reasons.

Relations with Humans

Goliath frogs were considered to be a source of food in some parts of west Africa. They were also highly exported to zoos and animal dealers to be sold as pets. Unfortunately, these frogs fail to thrive in captivity (and almost never reproduce there). Due to their classification as endangered, the Equatorial Guinean government has declared that no more than 300 goliaths may be exported out of the country per year. Fortunately for the frogs, even the most experienced of animal collectors can usually find no more than a dozen per trip.

External links

  • at AMNH

Media

  • at Queensland Frog Society
  • at CalPhotos