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
- Most amphibians are able to conduct gaseous exchange through their skin. This is called cutaneous respiration
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