African Bullfrog
Pyxicephalus adspersus

Habitat: Arid and semi-arid habitats

Range: Angola, Botswana, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania, United Republic of, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Natural Diet: Insects, amphibians, reptiles, small birds and small mammals

Status in the Wild: Common

 

Fun Facts

• African bullfrog males can get to the size of dinner plates while females are smaller in size

• They are highly adaptable to a diverse range in temperature since they live in the Kalahari desert

• Males are known to dig channels when the water pool containing tadpoles starts to dry up. The channels helps tadpoles move into a larger body of water

• African bullfrogs have powerful hindlegs that they use to burrow since they estivate underground

• They are highly carnivorous and have large mouths through which they fit such as small birds, small mammals, small reptiles, and other frogs

• They have a large skull and jaws which they use to effortlessly restrain their prey

 

Conservation Threats

• The major threats are habitat loss due to urbanization.

• Illegal hunting and trapping for consumption also has a detrimental influence on their wild numbers