Bullfrog, African Giant

Huge, very mean looking inflatable frogs that we found all over Piper Pan in the Central Kalahari, in temporary ponds and in the deep pools of water on the roads. They have an incredibly nasty look on their faces when approached and make a bizarre industrial sound at night.

They are the second largest frogs on earth, and adult males can weigh well over a kilo.

They survive by burying themselves during the dry season (i.e. winter in the Kalahari, May – Sept), dropping their metabolism to one-quarter of the normal rate and sustaining themselves using moisture stored in their digestive tracts.

Photo: Ralph