April is National Frog Month !

The World's Smallest & Largest Frogs

written by Rebecca of PurpleandLime

Tree Frog Necklace

by PurpleandLime

Frogs have fascinated me since I was a child. I collected frog stuffed animals, plastic toys, pencils, pillows, and much more until they filled my bedroom. In fact, some of the first items I listed on Etsy were necklaces made from my childhood plastic frog toys!

In honor of National Frog Month here’s some info about the world’s largest and smallest frogs. The size difference is amazing, and much more extreme than I expected!

First, the world’s smallest…

Pea Size Frog on Pencil Perch

One of the smallest frogs in the world is the Microhyla nepenthicola, which was previously thought to be a baby of another species! It is small enough to fit on the tip of a pencil and is roughly the size of a pea (so cute!).

The “species was spotted inside and around pitcher plants in Malaysian rain forests on the island of Borneo, which is divided among Brunei, Indonesia, and Malaysia.”

Coin Size Frog

Another itty-bitty frog is “a member of the Noblella genus” and lives in the Andes Mountains of Peru. “Females grow to 0.49 inch (12.4 millimeters) at most. Males make it to only 0.44 inch (11.1 millimeters).” Perhaps their diminutive size has allowed them to live undetected for so many years, and as they are so tiny they aren’t hunted or used by humans.

And now for the largest...

Goliath Frog

The world’s largest frog is known as the “Goliath frog” (Conraua goliath), and it “may grow up to 3 feet long when it is stretched out and can weigh as much as a newborn baby, about 7 lbs (3.2 kg)!”

They are native to the rainforests of Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea in Africa. “Unlike most other frogs and toads, Goliath frogs have no vocal sac and so courtship does not involve displaying any calls. They mainly eat crabs, but will also eat insects and smaller frogs. The Goliath frog can live up to 15 years.”

Goliath Frog

Unfortunately they are now considered an endangered species due to human consumption, habitat loss, and the pet trade. Children also keep them as pets, just like a dog or a cat. “The IUCN (The International Union for Conservation of Nature) sites Goliath frogs as an endangered species because of a 50% decline in population size in the last three generations.” In the future, the “only real hope for these amphibian wizards is the preservation of their rainforest home.”

RESOURCE INFORMATION

http://news.nationalgeographic.com

http://frogsaregreen.com/3345/goliath-frog-the-worlds-biggest-frog