How many of us have not heard of frogs? From childhood we were told the fairy tale "Rukavichka", where one of the characters is a frog frog. But not all of them are small and harmless. In eastern and southern Africa, as well as in the central states of the USA and southern Canada, one of the largest species of real frogs lives - the bull frog. They grow quite large, with an average of 17 to 20 centimeters. Some of them reach 25 centimeters. And their weight averages 2-2.5 kilograms. But there are some individuals whose weight significantly exceeds this figure. So, for example, in 1949, a frog of this species was caught in the state of Washington, weighing 3.5 kilograms.
The giant bull frog has a huge head that looks like the head of a slingshot - a rounded shape with a wide mouth. She has pretty sharp teeth. Young individuals are painted in bright green color, against which contrasting white spots are visible. For many, along the back you can observe a narrow bright strip or dark spots. They have bumpy skin, which helps them mask well. Young males have a white belly, sometimes with bright olive stains. Behind the eyes they have large resonators that help them during the mating season. With their help, they make deafening sounds that resemble a lowing. Perhaps, for this reason, this species got its name.
Females cannot boast such a bright color, they can be distinguished by a muted olive belly. The bull frog changes its color with age. It becomes dirty gray or swamp green. Due to this color in shallow water or among grass, it is almost imperceptible. She has strong hind limbs. With their help, the frog digs deep holes. Its activity is observed at night. As for daytime, they wait for it buried in the coastal ground or sitting in shallow water.
The bull frog has one amazing feature. In the hot period, in order to protect herself from the sultry heat, she secretes skin mucus, which is completely covered. After this mucus dries, a fairly tight cocoon is formed, in which it is placed in the ground. Only nostrils remain on the surface. In this state, the frog can sit up to 6 months.
The bull frog, the photo confirms this, is considered a predatory species. She eats everything that moves and fits in her mouth, and they must catch their own food on their own. Lunch can be various insects, reptiles, small rodents, chicks. With a lack of food, young individuals of their own species can eat. It should be noted that they only respond to moving objects. It has powerful jaws, with the help of which it can catch prey in a matter of seconds. It is almost impossible to open the jaw, therefore, once in her mouth, there is no chance to save.
With the onset of the rainy season, the bull frog is preparing for the breeding season. They gather in small flocks in shallow ponds, where the males begin their song, luring the females. 2 days after mating, the female lays eggs, which consists of 3000-4000 eggs. Then she throws two more masonry with an interval of 3 weeks. After 2 months, tadpoles appear, the size of which reaches 20 centimeters. They have an olive color and bulging big eyes. Tadpoles develop over two years. Due to the fact that ordinary frogs do not care about their eggs, most of the eggs die. However, this cannot be said of African frogs. Males of this species carefully guard their offspring. Defending their tadpoles, they can attack a person.
