Goliath frog

Goliath frog

We are delighted that Prof Dr Wolfgang Böhme has taken over the sponsorship of the goliath frog (Conraua goliath).

The goliath frog, which only lives in the rainforests of western Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea, is the largest frog in the world! From the tip of the snout to the cloaca, some individuals of this species measure over 30 cm and weigh more than 3 kg!

At this body size, an adult goliath frog will eat insects and other small animals as well as smaller reptiles or amphibians, young waterfowl or even smaller mammals, which it devours whole. In their youth, however, they are strictly vegetarian: in their first weeks, the tadpoles of the goliath frog feed exclusively on a particular aquatic plant (Dicraea warmingii), which grows in oxygen-rich watercourses on rocks below waterfalls and on sandy bottoms.

The goliath frog is now classified as "critically endangered" on the International Red List of Threatened Species. There are many reasons for this: the species, which is already limited to a very small distribution area and is not exactly common there, is hunted for its meat and is still being removed from its habitat for zoos or the pet trade. The destruction of their native rainforest areas through deforestation, settlements or agricultural development is also contributing to the fact that there are fewer and fewer representatives of this impressive frog species.