The Devil Frog

Fossils are such interesting things. They allow us to see glimpses of a world gone by, of creatures we could have only imagined. Remember the giant sea scorpion? (November 29th, 2007 – “A super sized insect.”) Or perhaps you recall the reptilian mammals of the Permian extinction. (January 4th, 2008 – “The Permian Extinction.”) There have been some really unusual creatures on our planet over the years! Well, scientists are at it again. This is another example of a fossil of something that’s still around today – it just used to be a lot bigger!

Paleontologist David Krause of Stony Brook University in New York and Susan Evans of the University College London have recently announced the discovery of the largest frog to have ever lived. Published just a few weeks ago in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, it is called Beelzebufo – meaning Devil Frog. This thing was approximately the size of a bowling ball – 16 inches tall and weighing in at 10 pounds. The largest frog currently in existence is the Goliath frog of West Africa, which can reach up to 7 pounds. However, Beelzebufo – which was found in Madagascar - does not seem to be related to African frogs at all. Instead, it is related to a group of big-mouthed horned frogs in South America called ceratophyrines – also known as Pacman frogs for the size of their mouths.

Apparently, ceratophyrines are quite aggressive, especially for frogs. They are ambush predators, and with their large mouths, will try to eat just about anything that walks by. Dr. Krause thinks that the Beelzebufo was probably much the same way. It also sported some heavy armor and teeth, prompting the speculation that this guy could have been strong enough to take down hatchling dinosaurs. This guy was not an aquatic frog hopping among lily pads. He likely lived in a semi-arid environment, and hunted by camouflaging himself and jumping out at his prey.

The fact that the devil frog seems to closely related to frogs in current-day South America has given new life to the long-lived speculation as to where Madagascar actually came from. Traditionally, scientists have believed that Madagascar broke free from Africa approximately 160 million years ago, and then India almost 90 million years ago, to its current isolated position. However, some scientists have recently suggested the presence of a land bridge connecting Madagascar, Antarctica, and South America. This theory is supported by recent discoveries showing close relations between dinosaurs found on Madagascar and South America. While it would be possible for animals to migrate over the ocean, either by swimming or by being carried on some sort of float, Dr. Krause believes it unlikely that the devil frog could have done either. Frogs are not adept at dispersal across marine barriers – they cannot live in saltwater, so would not have survived a swim of that nature. And the distance between South America and Madagascar makes the float idea “sort of impossible to believe,” he says.

While this is definitely in the lead for the largest frog to have ever lived, it is certainly not the largest amphibian ever. For example, the crocodile-like Prionosuchus reached an estimated 30 feet long when it was around during the Permian period. Once again, I am glad I live in an age where the frogs, crocodiles, and bugs are all a much more reasonable size!