African Bullfrog
Basic Information:
Scientific Name: Pyxicephalus adspersus
Habitat: African bullfrogs are native to the savannas, scrublands, and tropical swamps of Central and South Africa.
Diet: An African bullfrog will eat anything that will fit in its mouth including large insects, other frogs, spiders, and even small mammals or birds.
Size: 0.3 to 0.8 feet long
Weight: 2 to 5 pounds
Lifespan: 20 years in the wild. Up to 40 years in human care.
Distribution Map:
I.U.C.N. Conservation Status:
What does this mean?
Least Concern – a species determined by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (I.U.C.N.) to be pervasive, abundant, and thriving.
Our African Bullfrog:
Og (Male) – Date of Birth Unknown
Nog (Female) – Date of Birth Unknown
About African Bullfrogs:
African bullfrogs are one of the largest frog species in the world. They are known for being voracious carnivores and will go about eating almost anything that they can get their mouth around. They typically sit still (sometimes almost entirely underground) and wait for a potential meal to walk past them. Once it does, they launch out their tongue and yank the unsuspecting prey into their mouth. This prey can include anything from insects to small mammals to reptiles to other amphibians. They are also characteristically aggressive and territorial (normally towards other bullfrogs). Due to this, it is not uncommon for bullfrogs to eat smaller bullfrogs or even their own tadpoles.
Did You Know?!
- African bullfrogs are a large species of frog with males easily weighing over 3 pounds and females about half the size. Adult (male) frogs can be larger than the size of a dinner plate!
- African bullfrogs are ambush predators and prefer to sit in shallow water or mud and wait for unsuspecting prey to pass by.
- In dry conditions, the African bullfrog will burrow under the ground and surround itself with a moist cocoon. Frogs can stay like this for quite some time until a rainstorm moves in.
- Male bullfrogs actually guard their eggs after the female has laid them in the temporary ponds. And if the water in their pond starts to dry, they have been known to dig a tunnel to a nearby pond to save their eggs/tadpoles.
- In Jurassic Park, African Bullfrogs were used to clone dinosaurs!
- African Bullfrogs are one of the only frog species in the world that have “teeth.” These bumps in their mouth allows them to grip onto and secure their prey with much more ease.
