Bullfrog: a large and aggressive swamp monster (13 photos)

The South African, speckled burrowing frog, or bullfrog, is a living illustration of the word "cruelty" in the world of amphibians.





Bullfrog: 2 kilos of muscle and wild aggression.

These monsters of Africa are born for war. At first glance, they are just fat frogs splashing happily in a warm puddle. But take a closer look: the most brutal gladiator fights are taking place under your feet! This mud fight is truly worthy of the arenas of the Colosseum! Evil testosterone-fueled males tear each other with their teeth, drown, maim and kill in the most brutal way. The weakest will be carried out of the arena feet first. Or even eaten - these amphibians have no concept of honor and mercy, they obey only primal instincts.



Ancient evil has awakened from its slumber. Be afraid!

These gladiators grow up to 26 centimeters in length and weigh up to 2 kilograms. Really huge! For comparison: a regular average frog weighs about 150 grams - 13 times less. And their character is simpler, unlike their South African relatives. Giants do not think twice about sewing up their rival in the fight for the lady of the heart or eating their own offspring.





Even the most severe warrior has to endure when grandma wants to pat him on his cute chubby cheeks!

The vast majority of representatives of the amphibian class: frogs, toads, newts and salamanders - limit themselves to songs, dances or the release of pheromones to attract attention. Everything is easy and carefree. Remember the summer nights at grandma's in the village, this frog choir from the local pond - romantic! But in Africa there is no place for sentimentality.



This is my swamp! Get out!

The mating season for burrowing frogs begins with the first heavy rains. The rain awakens their instincts, and the amphibians rush to the puddles. That's when the fun begins. There's no time to sing serenades and emanate pheromones - in a couple of weeks, all the temporary reservoirs dry up! In a short time, you need to find a mate, have offspring and raise them.



- Come to me, my baby! - Actually, I'm Seryoga!

In a frantic race for the opportunity to leave a genetic trace, males kick, push, drown and maim their rivals. Nature has equipped them with a cold weapon: on their lower jaw there are two bony protrusions that look like fangs. With them, the beasts pierce the thick skin of their opponents and inflict deep, jagged wounds.



The lives of these frogs could be the subject of a juicy action movie!

They are not just fighting for a dirty puddle, but for the right to become a father. The selective long-legged beauty will not mate with just anyone, she will choose only the most worthy. The one who will defeat all rivals and will sit in the center of the puddle.



Only seasoned males engage in open combat with each other. Young and inexperienced youngsters gather in groups near puddles guarded by alpha males and quietly wait for the female.

And it would seem: you have won, fertilized the eggs, now you can breathe a sigh of relief and hop off to do your business! But no. The African burrowing frog is one of the few species of amphibians that cares for their offspring. And it is not the mothers who do this, but the fathers! One female lays 3,000-4,000 eggs. Several females visit one alpha male at once. This means that tens of thousands of tadpoles are under the male's supervision!



Sexual dimorphism in males and females is very noticeable. Ladies are 1.5 times smaller than their gentlemen!

The bullfrogs' fathers are both beautiful and terrible at the same time. On the one hand, the good father tirelessly watches over the clutch. He sits in a puddle with tadpoles without leaving and attacks anyone who passes by. He also monitors the water level: if the kindergarten with the kids starts to dry up, the caring male digs a trench to the nearest body of water. Everything looks more than perfect, if not for one "but". He will eat some of the tadpoles.



Daddy can, daddy can, anything! In this photo, the male is digging a trench so that the tadpoles can move from a drying puddle to another place.

This is because gladiator fights and guarding the offspring take up a lot of energy. In parallel with sorting out relationships and parental concerns, males need to have time to hunt - and they do this in a completely different way than ordinary frogs. One flying fly is not enough for them. Amphibians devour fish, chicks of waterfowl, rodents, snakes, lizards and, of course, other frogs. And when there is nothing to choose from, their own tadpoles will do.



Our father is the best! When not hungry...



The tadpoles are very impressive. 10 times larger than the ones we are used to from the pond in the village.

The tadpoles are not plush angels either. Everything that ends up in a puddle will become food: algae, insects, larvae, fish fry, brothers and sisters. The hunger games will end in three weeks - that's how long it takes for young burrowing frogs to turn into adults. Having fulfilled his fatherly duty, the male goes to rest. I mean, to hibernation.



After several months of parental duties, this is what everyone looks like!

With the end of the rainy season, temporary puddles dry up. In order not to dry up along with them, frogs make an underground cocoon. In the mud and clay, they dig holes up to 1 meter deep, climb in there, cover themselves with mucus and reduce their metabolism as much as possible. Scientists say that the need for oxygen during hibernation decreases by 23 times.



Well, just 5 more minutes...

The frogs can spend almost a year in this mode - they will not eat, drink and almost stop breathing. But as soon as the African lands are soaked with rain, the gladiators will rise. They will rush to the puddles again and will again arrange bloody spectacles - and so on in a circle endlessly. In the wild, males live up to 20 years, and in captivity - up to 40.