Amphibians are cold-blooded animals that can live both in water and on land, and when we think of amphibians, frogs and toads immediately come to mind. We usually think of frogs as rather small – we certainly don’t expect a frog to be larger than a domestic cat or with a mouth so wide that it can swallow other frogs whole. In fact, there are many giants in the world of frogs, one of which can weigh over 7 pounds! Here are the largest frogs in the world, sorted by length.
# 10: Giant River Frog
The giant river frog native to Borneo, Indonesia and Malaysia can grow to a snout of up to 17 cm (6.7 in). Mostly light brown, they are found on the banks of streams in tropical forests, where they easily blend into the environment. Although they are often hunted for food and their habitat is suffering from deforestation, there is still a healthy population of giant river frogs and their conservation status is of least concern.
# 9: Smoky Jungle Frog
Females of jungle clouded frogs grow to about 19 centimeters, males are slightly smaller, they have a large head with a rounded muzzle and a brown body with reddish-brown markings. Preferring tropical and subtropical forests and marshes, these frogs are widespread in Bolivia, Brazil, Ecuador, Colombia and Peru. They eat a wide variety of things, including spiders, lizards, snakes, bats, birds, and even other frogs. Perhaps one of the most interesting traits of jungle smoky frogs is their ability to evade capture and their defense mechanism. They can jump very quickly over long distances, and if caught, they emit a very shrill cry that usually makes the predator release them. Not only that, their skin contains a very powerful toxin, leptodactylin, which they can release when attacked. Even whoever stood nearby ended up sneezing, had a runny nose and puffy eyes. Therefore, it is not surprising that their conservation status is of the least concern.
# 8: Surinamese Horned Frog
The Surinamese horned frog, also known as the Amazonian horned frog, can grow up to 20 cm (7.9 in) long and weigh 0.5 kg (1.1 lb). It is easily recognizable by its extremely wide mouth and horns above the eyes. The Surinamese horned frog, found in several countries including Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Suriname, Peru, and Venezuela, is green and brown so it can blend in with its environment. This is especially useful as it often sits for hours and waits for an opportunity to attack its prey. Given the size of their mouths, it’s no surprise that they eat just about anything, including lizards, birds, small mammals, and other frogs, often just swallowing their prey whole. These frogs are not endangered and are classified as the species of least concern.
# 7: American bullfrog
American bullfrogs are widespread throughout the United States and have also been introduced to many other countries in Europe and Asia. Females are slightly larger than males, can grow up to 20 cm (7.9 in) in length and weigh just over 0.5 kg (1.1 lb). It is classified as an invasive species in many countries because it feeds on fish, snakes, small turtles, birds and other small mammals, and is believed to threaten the survival of some of the species it eats. They prefer to live in swamps, ponds and lakes and are often brown or olive green in color. Their conservation status is of least concern.
# 6: Mountain Chicken Frog
A relative of the smoky mountain frog, the mountain chicken frog is found primarily in Dominica and Montserrat. They grow to about 20 cm (7.9 in) in length and can weigh up to 1 kg (2.2 lb). They have yellow bellies and their bodies are usually brown with spots or stripes on them, which provide them with camouflage on the banks of streams, where they are often found. Mountain chick frogs were often hunted for food, which, combined with a fungal disease that gripped the population, resulted in them being officially classified as endangered, with fewer than 100 remaining in the wild.
# 5: African bullfrog
The African bullfrog is also known as the pixie frog and can grow to an impressive size of 25 cm (9.8 inches). They are olive green in color with a yellow or orange throat and are commonly found in deserts or floodplains in Africa. Although African frogs prefer to live near water, they can easily survive in completely dry places, as they simply dig a hole in the ground when it gets too hot and dry for them on the surface. They are excellent hunters and usually lie in wait for their prey before pouncing on it and swallowing it whole.
Their conservation status is of least concern and more information on them can be found here.
# 4: Blythe river frog
Females reach lengths of up to 26 cm (10.2 in) and weigh about 1 kg (2.2 lb), the Blythe river frog, also known as the Asian giant river frog, is the largest frog in Asia. These large frogs are usually brown, yellow, or gray in color and are found along rocky streams in the forested regions of Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Singapore. They are a popular food source for locals, and due to hunting and the impact of deforestation and deforestation that is destroying their habitat, Blythe’s river frog is now classified as endangered.
# 3: Lake Junin frog
As the name suggests, these huge frogs, which can grow up to 30 centimeters (11.8 inches) in length, are often found in Lake Junin in Peru, but they are now also found in other lakes in the area and in parts of the Mantaro River. Weighing an impressive 2 kg (4.4 lb), Lake Junin frogs rarely leave the water at all, preferring to live, eat and breed in it. They are dark brown and have perfectly smooth skin, which is why they are sometimes also called the Andean smooth frog. Unfortunately, these aquatic frogs are under serious threat from hunting and pollution of the lakes in which they live, which means that their conservation status is now officially under threat.
# 2: Chilean Giant Frog
Although they are also known as the helmeted water toad, the Chilean giant frog is not actually a toad and belongs to the family group. Caliptocephalellids… Females are much larger than males and can grow to a snout length of 32 cm (12.6 in) and weigh 3 kg (6.6 lb). For comparison, males grow to about 15 cm, but even tadpoles can reach 10 cm in length. As the name suggests, they are from Chile and are mainly found in lowlands in deep ponds. Their color can range from yellow, green to brown, and they have a large, round head. Due to their large size, they were often hunted for food or raised specifically for meat, and although they are now banned from hunting, they are still heavily traded on the black market and their numbers have diminished so much that their conservation status is now classified as “ Vulnerable”.
# 1: the goliath frog
The Goliath frog ranks first with a nose length of 32 cm (12.6 in) and an impressive 3.3 kg (7.3 lb) in weight. This makes the goliath frog the largest frog in the world! This species is found in streams and rainforests in Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea. They are so large that males can easily move rocks around and create huge nests up to three feet wide in which the female can lay eggs. Their color is usually yellow-green or yellow-orange, and they eat a variety of fish and snakes. , birds, small mammals and other amphibians such as newts and salamanders. However, tadpoles eat only one plant – podostemaceae. These giants have long been hunted for food and caught for the pet trade, and since their habitat is also under great threat from deforestation, they are officially endangered.
You can read more about goliath frogs here.