Range:

Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea in western Africa

Habitat:

Swift rivers and waterfalls in dense rain forests

Goliath means REALLY BIG!

We're not kidding—the goliath frog is the largest frog in the world. Measuring up to 12.5 inches (32 centimeters) in length and weighing up to 7.2 pounds (3.3 kilograms), the goliath frog is as big as some house cats! It doesn't start out so big, though. The goliath frog tadpole is the same size as the tadpole of an average frog but just keeps growing. The adult looks a lot like other frogs as well, just a whole lot bigger.

A frog is a frog

Goliath frogs are found in small ranges in the rain forests at the equator of western Africa, near swift-moving rivers and waterfalls. These giant amphibians need to be near water much like the average frog.

Goliath frogs can jump almost 10 feet (3 meters) forward.
You'd think that such a large frog would make a loud croak, but goliath frogs don’t have a vocal sac and are mute.
Can you get big warts from goliath frogs? No! You can't get warts from any frog or toad.

The San Diego Zoo does not have any goliath frogs in its collection at this time.

Goliath frogs have been around for about 250 million years! They are one of only a few amphibians still alive that lived on Earth before the dinosaurs. But if the goliath frog has been around for millions of years, why are they endangered now? A lot has changed for the goliath frog over the years.

Major contributors to their decline are, unfortunately, humans. Many people enjoy eating frogs, and a goliath frog makes a big meal. Even though it is now against the law to hunt the goliath frog, poachers still do in order to sell the delicious meat.

The large frogs are also losing their forest habitat due to farming, logging, and human settlements. These activities are also adding extra soil to the frogs' breeding streams. Researchers are finding that the adult frogs weigh less than expected these days, and there is also concern that all the large adults are being hunted, leaving only "teenagers." If this is so, soon there may not be any adult goliath frogs to have babies!