The Goliath frog is the largest frog in the world. These frogs, also known as the giant slippery frog or the goliath bullfrog, are the kingpins of frogdom.
An adult male Goliath might measure 12.5 inches (32 centimeters) long and can top out at 7.2 pounds (3.3 kilograms). With legs extended, the largest specimens are easily 29.5 inches (75 centimeters) tip to tip.
An adult Goliath frog is an omnivore with a carnivorous bent. It consumes insects, crustaceans, fish, and other amphibians and even bats if they fly low enough to be caught by its long, sticky tongue.
This species has a relatively small habitat range, being found only in and around specific waterways in Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea. Due to human activity including deforestation for logging or agriculture (resulting in sedimentation from soil runoff which alters water chemistry and affects picky Goliath tadpoles’ preferred underwater grazing), hunting for food and the international pet trade and zoo industry, the Goliath’s numbers are dwindling and it is listed as threatened. Moreover, although hunting Goliaths is illegal, poachers remain problematic.
Goliaths’ natural habitats are now protected areas in Equatorial Guinea and there are at least 3 sanctuaries in Littoral Province, Cameroon.
These frogs, which can jump 10 feet (3 meters) forward, have a 15-year lifespan in the wild versus a relatively short 5 years in captivity. They also lack vocal sacs and cannot croak, unlike other frogs.