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
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African bullfrog males can get to the size of dinner plates while females are smaller in size
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They are highly adaptable to a diverse range in temperature since they live in the Kalahari desert
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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
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African bullfrogs have powerful hindlegs that they use to burrow since they estivate underground
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They are highly carnivorous and have large mouths through which they fit such as small birds, small mammals, small reptiles, and other frogs
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They have a large skull and jaws which they use to effortlessly restrain their prey
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Most amphibians are able to conduct gaseous exchange through
their skin. This is called cutaneous respiration
Conservation Threats
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The major threats are habitat loss due to urbanization.
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Illegal hunting and trapping for consumption also has a detrimental influence on their wild numbers
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African bull frogs can grow to be as big as a dinner plate.
Distributional range - they are found in arid habitats in southern Africa