Pyxicephalus adspersus
| African bullfrog | |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Amphibia |
| Order: | Anura |
| Family: | Pyxicephalidae |
| Subfamily: | Pyxicephalinae |
| Genus: | Pyxicephalus |
| Species: | P. adspersus |
| Binomial name | |
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Pyxicephalus adspersus Tschudi, 1838 |
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The African bullfrog (Pyxicephalus adspersus) is a species of frog in the Pyxicephalidae family. It is also known as the pixie frog due to its Latin name. It is found in Angola, Botswana, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and possibly Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Its natural habitats are dry savanna, moist savanna, subtropical or tropical dry shrubland, intermittent freshwater lakes, intermittent freshwater marshes, arable land, pastureland, and canals and ditches. It is a large frog, with males weighing 1.4 kg (3.1 lb), though can easily exceed 2 kg (4.4 lb). Females are half the size of males, which is unusual since in most amphibian species females are larger than males. Males can reach 23 cm (9 inches) while females are much smaller.
The African bullfrog is carnivorous and a voracious eater, eating insects, small rodents, reptiles, small birds and other amphibians. It is also a cannibalistic species — the male African bullfrog is known for occasionally eating the tadpoles he guards. An African bullfrog kept at the Pretoria Zoo in South Africa once ate 17 Juvenile Rinkhals Snakes (Hemachatus haemachatus). They emit a loud croaking and a bleating sound when stressed or handled. Like the Pacman frogs and the Budgett's Frogs, African Bullfrogs also bite when they are provoked. It is one of three frog species that have sharp teeth and bite humans when they are provoked or handled by humans (when they are getting picked up by humans using their hands to lift them up).
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Wikipedia