The biggest toad in the world. The largest amphibians What are the names of the frogs from Naruto

Also known by the names Rhaebo blombergi(previously Bufo blombergi) and Colombian giant toad(Colombian giant toad). It is the representatives of this species that are considered the largest among the toads.

Rolf Blomberg, a Swedish explorer, writer and photographer, discovered an unknown species of giant toad in southwestern Colombia in 1950 near the town of El Madrigal. He took one specimen with him and a year later this species was named " Bufo blombergi” – in honor of the researcher. The fact that this species can reach a length of 25 - 30 cm makes its representatives the largest toads in the world, thus relegating the former leader, the cane toad, to second place (we will talk about it below).

In these photos, Rolf Blomberg and the first photos of the toad he found (1950)

The Colombian giant toad weighs 1.5 kg and can be brown to red in color with dark and light spots on the body. Paws and belly are dark with a bluish tint. In the tubercles of the body, males have the smallest spines, but females are larger than most of their partners.

pay attention to distinctive features of this kind. There are many photos on the Internet in which Blomberg's toad is not at all. Firstly, the surface of the skin is smooth, not quite typical for toads. Secondly, a certain dividing line separating the color of the upper body from the lower. The lower part of the body is usually darker than the upper. And finally, those lips. Due to white blotches, the lip line clearly stands out on general background heads. This is clearly seen, both in old black and white photos, and in modern color ones.

This is very rare view toads and it is not easy to meet it in its natural habitat. In addition to Colombia, the toad lives in the tropical forests of Esmeraldas, north of Ecuador at an altitude between 200 and 550 m above sea level. In addition, Colombian giant toads are endangered due to the loss of natural environments of their habitat, which include tropical wet areas.

We also invite you to listen to how this toad sounds.

Toad Aha

This toad has always competed with Blomberg's toad for the right to be called the largest toad in the world. And until recently, it was considered so.

Scientific name: Rhinella Marina(previously Bufo marinus).

Popular names: Aga or toad-aga (Russian), cane toad, giant toad, sea ​​toad, South American cane toad. The name "cane toad" is due to the fact that these toads were used to control insects on sugar cane plantations. "Giant toad" - because of its size. And the "sea toad", then, that often these amphibians can be found in brackish estuaries.

It is a huge warty toad ranging in size from 10 to 24 cm (from the muzzle to the anus). The weight of females can reach 1.5 kg. When these toads sit on the road, they are easily confused with ordinary boulders. AT wild nature live 10 - 15 years, and in captivity their life span is significantly increased. There is information about a specimen that lived 35 years.

Cane toads are indigenous to the northern part South America and southern part North America(Mexico, south Texas). But at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century, before the invention of pesticides, these toads were specially imported into many countries (especially Pacific region) for pest control. They were brought to Australia, Florida, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Japan, the Caribbean, Fiji, Hawaii. The idea did not justify itself, so instead of insects, the toads switched to other sources of food. They successfully took root, multiplied and now almost everywhere they themselves are pests. And the thing is that local animals do not have immunity against the poison of these toads. Diseases do not take them either. Therefore, their population grows uncontrollably, threatening biodiversity life in these countries.

The toad, which is found in Florida, has settled in the area of ​​​​urban and agricultural land. It breeds in ditches and shallow pools, and at night crawls closer to the fires of houses, around which insects swarm. But they also do not disdain local frogs, other toads, eat small snakes and mice, as well as other types of food, up to dog and cat food.

A distinctive feature of giant toads is the presence of enlarged poisonous parotid glands. These glands protrude slightly to the sides and secrete extremely toxic substances. This toxin can poison and even kill an animal that tries to bite a toad. It is also interesting that they are able to shoot poison over long distances in the form of a thick, whitish substance. When a person or animal comes into contact with this substance, temporary blindness, paralysis and consequent death can result.

Well, and finally about known science the largest toad in the world, which came under the account. This is a toad-aga named "Prince". According to studies conducted in March 1991, the weight of this male, owned by Haken Forsberg from Akers-Stiekebrook (Sweden), was 2.65 kg, and the length was 38 cm, if counted from the tip of the muzzle to the anus, or 54 cm, if in full length.

The first place in the world in terms of size and weight among tailless amphibians (amphibians) is occupied by the goliath frog. Goliath ( Conraua goliath, Rana goliath) , niamoa, viamoa - the most big frog in the world today. The world's largest goliath frog reaches a gigantic size of 91 centimeters. Only the body is more than 30 centimeters, not counting the long hind legs. Its hind legs are the size of a man's hand and longer than its front legs. Large specimens weigh more than 3 kilograms, like a decent-sized cat. The eyes of the largest frog in the world are slightly smaller than human ones, and the girth of the hip is about the size of our wrist.

According to unconfirmed reports, the largest specimen caught in Cameroon weighed almost 6 kilograms. In 1960, a female was caught, which weighed 3 kg 306 g. Her body length was 34 cm, and taking into account the extended legs, 81.5 cm. In fact, the largest frog in the world was caught in April 1989. Andy Kofman, a resident of Seattle, USA, pulled a goliath frog weighing 3.66 kilograms from the Sanaga River in Cameroon. You see her in the photo below.

The biggest frog in the world: established facts

The largest frog in the world jumps 3 meters, covering the victim with itself. The largest frog in the world is so large that it swallows birds, spiders, frogs and toads, small snakes, worms, crayfish, crabs and other living creatures. The remains of small rodents were found in the stomachs of the largest frog in the world. She squeezes the victim with quick movements of her jaws and, using her tongue, swallows her whole!

This largest frog in the world, an African frog, was discovered in 1906 in the continental part of Equatorial Guinea, Rio Muni ( Rio Muni). The giant goliath frog is the world's largest representative of 250 species of real frogs. The goliath frog belongs to the tailless order and is part of the family of real frogs. Studying the ossification of the pectoral girdle of the largest frog in the world today, zoologists placed it in a separate genus Gigantorana, in which there is only one of this species.

The Goliath frog has been around for about 250 million years and is the only member of its genus today. They are one of the few amphibians still alive that lived on Earth before the dinosaurs. This explains its gigantic size, in those days there was a kingdom of huge trees and insects.

Outwardly, it is very similar to ordinary frogs, only gigantic in size. And the female is slightly larger than the male. In addition, the male on the front paws has a larger first toe than the female. The skin on the back is wrinkled, like a toad, greenish-brown-gray. But the abdomen and the inside of the paws, like those of other frogs, are yellow or almost white. These amphibians can be found to this day in the wilds of West Africa, namely, in Rio Muni (Equatorial Guinea) and Cameroon.

Where does the largest frog in the world live?

The most numerous habitat (range) of the largest frog in the world near the noisy waterfall of the river called Mbia River, Nkongsamba (Nkongsamba), Western Cameroon. Unlike other frogs that do not disdain swamps, the largest frog in the world likes the water to be clean, like in a well and well saturated with oxygen. She needs this for a better metabolism, because the giant's jumps take a lot of energy. goliath frog love high humidity and can't bear it at all open spaces and high sun exposure. Her eyesight and hearing are well developed, her ears are small. The world's largest frog does not go far from the water, because. begins to lose weight and may even die. She does not drink water, she absorbs it exclusively through the skin. Gas exchange also takes place through the skin.

Adult goliath frogs are very cautious and shy, it is difficult to get close to them. Despite its size, it is not easy to see, and even more so to catch a frog. Even with the smallest danger, a huge frog, which was sitting motionless, like a sculpture, disappears in one moment - it makes a lightning-fast jump into the water. And after that you can not find it in the waterfall. Only at the beginning of the last century, scientists saw the first living specimen of the giant goliath frog.

How the giant goliath frog hunts

During the day they hide under water, hiding under stones and in rock crevices. In search of food, a giant amphibian animal comes out only at night. juveniles most time is spent under water, and the old ones sometimes crawl out to bask on the rocks. The largest frog jumps ashore near the waterfall and leisurely jumps off to look for dinner. Due to its gigantic size, the goliath frog only makes a few hops. The energy required for such a long jump dries up quickly, after which the goliath, as a rule, rests for a long time.

It is noteworthy that these frogs are not green, but gray color. Using their disguise, they are so pressed against the stones that even at a close distance it is impossible to distinguish them from the gray surface. And in its shelter, the animal is quite comfortable, since water sprays bring them an abundance of oxygen. And it is necessary for amphibians for normal skin respiration.

Features of the physiology of the largest frog in the world

The world's largest frog has excellent hearing. But the goliath frogs do not have a vocal bag with which frogs croak. However, the giants still make some sounds of the frog, but it is almost impossible to hear them among the noise of the water. Interestingly, the giant frog has good vision and immediately notice everything that moves around at a distance of more than 40 meters. It can stay under water for up to 15 minutes and is not visible from the shore. It is not surprising that white people only heard about these huge frogs from the inhabitants of African tribes.

A miracle of nature can be called an amazing adaptation that allows the frog to stay on the surface of slippery stones that wash the swift streams of water. And this device is suction pads located at the very ends of the fingers of only the front paws. However, the hind legs also help the largest frog in the world to sit firmly on the stone - they have elastic membranes. And the waterfall itself on the Mbia River, by the way, is very formidable, especially after heavy rains. Water cascades fall down with a roar and try to tear off the frogs that have sat firmly on the stones.

How the world's largest frogs are born

Well, where the water does not boil so much, the females of the giant frog spawn. The largest frog in the world has a corresponding caviar: each egg is 5-6 millimeters in diameter, like peas! The egg of the largest frog is painted blue-gray on one side and yellowish on the other, and is protected by a protective sheath of adhesive to attach to stones. The frog breeds only during the dry season, in 5-6 days the female lays about 10 thousand eggs. The development of an egg to an adult, that is, metamorphosis, lasts approximately 70 days. At the time of birth, the tadpole is only 8 millimeters long, but after 45 days, by the time the tail falls off, it is almost 5 centimeters long.

Tadpoles feed on plants for the first time, and after they pass the necessary stages of development, they become the same size as their relatives. And at this time, the goliath's gills and tail disappear, the largest frog in the world begins to grow rapidly and reaches a weight of three kilograms. However, the place of residence of the largest frogs in the world is not so safe.

The world's largest frog is on the verge of extinction

The main natural enemies of the largest frog in the world: crocodiles, birds and big fish. The habitat of the giant frog has already come under the close attention of man. All because he tasted goliath frog meat. Therefore, the herd is constantly hunted and gradually destroyed completely. Well, at least the local Fanga tribes who live near the Mbia River Falls are not interested in the frog as a hunting item. They do not see the source of food in the goliath and the Bayel pygmy tribes, who are well aware of the existence of the giant. By the way, the local tribes of the largest frogs are quite affectionately called "nia-moa", which means "sons" in translation. They are called so because the frog grows to the size of a one-year-old baby.

Because of their size, goliaths have been the subject of interest for private collectors and zoos for about a decade now: many frogs were captured and taken to the United States, where they were put up for "competitions" in jumping (at one time it was in vogue). Repeatedly tried to breed the largest frog in the world in captivity. Nothing came of it. The goliath frog breeds only in the crystal clear, fast-flowing water of its native waterfalls. However, the frog is still hunted by tourists, collectors and gourmets who have tasted frog meat.

giant delicacy

They say that local restaurants pay $ 5 for one frog - a lot of money for a resident of a forest African village! They catch rare animals with spinning rods, so the number of choliath is slowly but surely declining. The average size of the remaining frogs is steadily declining, as the largest ones are constantly being exterminated.

AT Equatorial Guinea located national park Monte Alen, where goliath frogs live in a protected area. Currently, no more than 300 adults per year are allowed to be exported from African countries. But this does not help much, man is steadily exterminating this largest frog in the world ...

The article will answer questions about amphibious toads, tell interesting facts about them, about where large toads live on Earth, why toads reach sizes up to 55 cm in length and 25 cm in width, and what types of toads are the largest. If you want to know what is the biggest toad in the world, then let's go!

About toads

Toads are amphibians that belong to the class of tailless amphibians. In nature, there are 650 species of toads, and despite their characteristic - "amphibians", toads live in reservoirs, steppes, earthen burrows. The settlement area is large, since amphibians can easily do without liquid for up to 6 months.

Toads are the same frogs, but these relatives have differences:

• The sizes of toads exceed the sizes of frogs by 10-15 cm;
• The skin covering of frogs is smooth, moistened, while in toads, on the contrary, the skin covering is dry and with tubercles.

• The method of reproduction of some frogs and toads is very different, as is the type of caviar. In toads, eggs are laid in the form of long strings, and in frogs, in the form of slimy lumps. The first amphibians are less prolific and less common in nature.
• Frogs have long legs, thanks to the length of their legs (8 cm), the frogs jump a distance of 20 cm in one jump. Due to the range of their jumps, frogs move quickly and tire slowly. In toads, on the contrary, due to the dense body structure and short jumping legs, movement from place to place takes at least 2 minutes. Movement is given to toads with difficulty and fatigue comes quickly. Toads are tied to the place of deployment.

• Toads have large parotid shells; frogs have no pronounced parotid shells.
• Toads hatching from eggs are tailless, and frogs at the fry stage are distinguished by the presence of a tail. which changes into a vertebra 14-20 days after the birth of the frog. Frogs have a tail - a means of reserve nutrients, which are involved in the amphibian growth process. In toads, the supply of nutrition in the body is provided by the fatty layer and fiber.

Among other factors, dimensions are interesting. If reproduction, coverage, structure do not vary in large values, then here are the sizes on the contrary.

On average, toads reach 15-20 cm in length and 10 cm in width, but among them there are fry and giants.

Where are giant toads found?

The fact that the range of settlement of toads is huge has already been discussed. But I think it is interesting for every person to learn that there are natural and artificial places for the settlement of large toads.

Large toads - 15-35 cm - live in tropical forests, taiga swamps, etc. Artificially created areas for the resettlement of toads are: Australia, China and others warm countries.

The distribution zones are large, but the probability of finding, for example, the toad Aga, in the proposed areas of its distribution is small. It is possible to find one individual that will be difficult to catch, but it is impossible to stumble upon a group of toads, because toads only come together in mating season spawning.

Nutritional preferences of giant toads

Toads, somewhat cute creatures, but mostly not friendly, are typical predators. You can safely take as the basis of nutrition: butterflies, caterpillars, fish fry, rodents, small toads like themselves, or frogs, lizards.

Toads hunt at night, due to infrared vision and developed receptors, they seek out prey, hide or disguise themselves as plants, and then quickly attack and swallow the prey.

Behavioral features

• In Ag, for example, as in green toads, only the father (male toad) is interested in the appearance of offspring and caring for them. To keep the "children" in proper condition before birth and after, the toad sits in an earthen burrow. In the ground at a depth of up to 1 meter just the necessary conditions for the maturation of eggs - dark, damp, warm. The male, having wound ribbons of future tadpoles around his hind legs, is waiting for hatching.

• Toads, small and large, will not give a person any diseases in contact with their cover.
• Large toads are helpers in the garden: they quickly exterminate slugs, mosquitoes, small snakes and other annoying pests.

• Toads secrete mucus, which contains painkillers and antiseptic components. If the toad is grown at home, then there is probably a strong attachment to the one who raised and fed it. The domestic toad will let relatives and friends of the person know that something is wrong with him, and also gives signs to the owner that he is sick. The toad does this by making sounds, rolling and demonstrating the refusal of food.

According to the BBC, giant toads are found in the toad genus Bufo marinus, otherwise cane toads. Place of deployment - rainforests. In the tropics, the temperature reaches 40°C during the day and 15-20°C at night. Thermal resonance is an aid to the ideal circulatory regulation of toads, heat exchange, life and growth.

The sizes of such toads vary from 15 to 25 cm in length, and the toads weigh up to 2 kg, sometimes more.

Among such large toads, there was a record holder, who was accordingly nicknamed - the Prince. For 2017, the toad is not alive, so now the Prince is a museum exhibit that is being shown to biologists.

The weight of the Prince reached 3 kg, and the length was 54 cm. It is intriguing that the "copy" did not grow in natural, but artificially created by man conditions. The Prince belonged to the Swedish botanist Haken Forsberg.

Noteat: toads growing and living not in vivo, reach a length of 4-17 cm, while females are 2-7 cm larger than males in length and width. Male Prince became an exception to the rule.

As regards the physical and external characteristics, then toads, unlike the rest, have long jumping legs and move quickly. And also their color is surprising in that it looks like a turtle - spotted.

Aga individuals are dangerous to humans, so it is better to avoid meeting with them. The danger is expressed in the fact that stressful situation the toad begins to secrete a persistent secret from the parotid glands. The secret contains bufotoxin, which negatively affects the functioning of the liver, heart and brain. With an "unfortunate meeting" with a toad, a person will experience convulsions, as well as ischemic attacks. Toads squirt the toxin within a radius of 20-30 cm. They can use poison in large and moderate amounts, they are used more often for protection than for catching the victim in “their networks”.

Agi live up to 12 years or more. They love darkness, heat and humidity, lead nightlife. If it is not so easy to recognize a species by color, then the eyes will serve as an assistant, because the pupils of Ag are elongated, resemble a rectangle and are located horizontally.

If in the first place are toads, which reach an average of 20 to 30 cm in length, but among them there are rare winners with large parameters, then Blomberg's toads almost all have sufficient body volumes, weight and length.

Since 2007, this species has been recognized as endangered, however, earlier in the 18th century, when they were not actively exterminated, Blomberg individuals were the largest amphibians. The constant size was 25 cm, sometimes more. The toads were remarkable not only for their size, but also for their color - red in the dorsal region and green on the abdomen. This species stood out from the rest in that it does not have roughness and peeling from dryness on the skin. You can meet the toad to this day in the central states of America.

3. Green and brown toads

In third place are toads from the type of Green, Brown. The habitat of such amphibians is reduced to the center of Europe, the south of Russia. Inhabits ponds, swamps, peat deposits and silt streams. The toad reaches no more than 20 cm in length, but 15 cm in width.

The toad has an amazing color: on the abdomen and back, the color is either grassy with white stripes, or burgundy without inclusions. The skin, like that of other typical toads, is bumpy and dry. An individual of Zelenka is often found, since the toad is distributed throughout the globe due to its unpretentiousness and increased vitality. The species is not dangerous, it is easily bred at home, it feeds on mosquitoes, ant larvae, spiders and spider eggs.

It is noteworthy that these toads lay their eggs in autumn, and not in summer, as they hibernate during the hot season. They do not tolerate excessive heat, they like cold and dampness. Absolutely not dangerous to humans.

Summarize

Large toads are bred for pest control, Agi serve as excellent chemical test subjects (they are used to study the poison of bufotoxin) and to scare away snakes, crocodiles, water rats.

Toads have mucus that serves as an excellent disinfectant that soothes redness, heals abrasions and wounds.

Amphibians, or amphibians (lat. Amphibia) are vertebrates that spend part of their lives on land. These include the well-known tailless amphibians - frogs and toads (as well as garlic and toads), tailed amphibians - salamanders and ambistomes, newts, as well as legless amphibians - worms - tropical creatures that look like worms.

Amphibians are relatively small creatures; among them you will not find such giants as among reptiles or fish. But even among amphibians there are champions who are ready to declare themselves to the whole world. We will now tell about the most famous large amphibians.

Chinese giant salamander

The largest modern tailed aphibia and aphibia in general is the Chinese giant salamander (lat. Andrias Davidianus). Its length can be up to 1.83 meters, and weight - up to 64-70 kg. With such dimensions, it is just right for her to compete with the man himself. This amphibian lives on the territory of East China (from the southern part of Guangxi province to the northern part of Shanxi). Prefers to live in cold and exceptionally clean mountain waters.

Japanese giant salamander

Japanese (lat. Andrias japonicus) is almost 2 times smaller than its “relative”: its length is 1.53 meters, and its weight is 36 kg. It lives exclusively in Japan, distributed in the western part of about. Honshu, throughout the island of Shikoku and in some places on about. Kyushu.

Allegan cryptbranch

And the 3rd representative of this detachment is the Alleghenian cryptobranch (lat. Cryptobranchus alleganiensis). It weighs only 1.5 to 2.5 kg, but it is considered the most major representative of its family Cryptobranchidae living in North America. This small and squat amphibian spends its entire life at the bottom of streams and rivers.

goliath frog

Among tailless amphibians, the first place belongs to the goliath frog (lat. Conraua goliath), whose weight can reach up to 3.8 kg, body length without paws - 32 cm. This giant frog lives in Equatorial Guinea and southwestern Cameroon.

Cane toad, or

Cane toad, or aha (lat. Bufo marinus) - the second after the goliath frog. Inhabitant of South and Central America. It grows up to 24 cm in length, weight - up to 2.65 kg.

African bullfrog

And the third among the “relatives” is the African bullfrog (lat. Lithobates catesbeianus). It grows in length up to 17-20 cm, the weight of an adult is about 2 kg (on average up to 1 kg).

The largest frog once lived in Madagascar and weighed about 4 kg, i.e. she wasn't much more goliath frog. The researchers called her an ominous name " Beelzebufo ampinga". Subsequently, the horned frog became its relative, and the largest among the horned frogs is the common slingshot, its weight is only 0.48 kg.

Spiny or ribbed newt

Ribbed newt, or spiny newt (lat. Pleurodeles waltl) is the most large view newts. The main habitats of this newt are Portugal, Spain and Morocco. Spiny newts are fairly large animals: their body length reaches 20-23 cm, body weight - up to 3 kg, and height - up to 15 cm. The life expectancy of a spiny newt is up to 7 years.

Okinawan newt

Okinawan newt (lat. Cynops ensicauda) - the largest species of the genus of East Asian newts (lat. Cynops). Do not confuse it with the Chinese (pygmy newt "cynops orientalis") or the Japanese (fire-bellied newt "cynops pyrrhogaster"), since all of these species have similar coloration.

The length of an adult is from 11 to 14 cm. The maximum (recorded) length for males is 12.7 cm, and for females - 18 cm. The life expectancy of Okinawan newts is about 20 years!

Worms

Records of the worm (lat. Caeciliidae) relate to the ratio of the thickness and length of their body. One of these amphibians living in Colombia has a body length of 1.5 m and this is with a diameter of only 3 cm. Thus, the length exceeds the thickness by 50 times (!). But this one can consider itself a real "fatty", since there are such graceful species in which the length of the body can exceed the thickness by 100 times!

Dread Leaf Climber

Terrible leaf climber (lat. Phyllobates terribilis) is a very small frog, its weight is only 28.3 g. But at the same time, it is the largest in its family of poison dart frogs. In addition, she is one of the most poisonous creatures on Earth.

Prionosuchus

Prionosuchus (lat. Prionosuchus). Nobu Tamura

And the largest amphibian that existed on Earth was prionosuchus (lat. Prionosuchus). It outwardly resembled a crocodile or a gharial, and it was 9 meters long!