A frog-bull is a miracle of nature

Who among us has not heard of frogs? From the very childhood we were told a fairy tale "Sleeve", where one of the characters is a frog-cuckoo. But not all of them are small and harmless. In eastern and southern Africa, as well as in the central states of the United States and southern Canada, one of the largest species of real frogs, the bullfrog, lives. They grow quite large, an average of 17 to 20 centimeters. Some of them reach 25 centimeters. And their weight is on average 2-2.5 kg. But there are some individuals whose weight significantly exceeds this figure. So, for example, in 1949 in Washington State caught a frog of this species, whose weight was 3.5 kilograms.

The giant bullfrog has a huge head,which resembles the head of a slingshot - a rounded form with a wide mouth. She has fairly sharp teeth. Young individuals are painted in a bright green color, against which contrasting white spots are visible. Many people can see a narrow light strip or dark spots along the back. They have a bumpy skin, which helps them to mask well. Young males have a white belly, sometimes with olive bright divorces. Behind their eyes are large resonators that help them during the mating season. With their help, they make deafening sounds that resemble mooing. Perhaps, it is for this reason that this species got its name.

Female can not boast such a bright color,they can be distinguished by a muted olive belly. The frog-bull changes its color with age. It becomes dirty gray or marsh green. Due to this color in shallow water or among the grass, it is almost imperceptible. She has strong hind legs. With their help, the frog digs deep holes. Its activity is observed at night. As for the daytime, then they wait for him buried in the coastal ground or sitting in shallow water.

The frog-bull has one amazing feature. In a hot period, in order to protect themselves from hot heat, it emits skin mucus, which is completely covered. After the desiccation of this mucus, a sufficiently sealed cocoon is formed, in which it is placed in the soil. Only nostrils remain on the surface. In this condition, the frog can sit for up to 6 months.

A frog-bull, the photo confirms this, is considereda predatory kind. She eats everything that moves and fits in her mouth, and they must catch their own food. Dinner can be various insects, reptiles, small rodents, chicks. When food is scarce, young individuals of their own kind can eat. It should be noted that they react only to moving objects. She has powerful jaws, with which help in a few seconds can catch prey. Unclenching the jaw is almost impossible, so being in her mouth, to save the chances is no more.

With the onset of the rainy season, a frog-bullis preparing for the breeding season. They gather in small flocks on small ponds, where males begin their song, luring females. Two days after mating, the female lays eggs, which consists of 3000-4000 eggs. Next, she mows two more clutches with an interval of 3 weeks. After 2 months there are tadpoles, whose size reaches 20 centimeters. They are olive-colored and bulging big eyes. Develop tadpoles for two years. Due to the fact that ordinary frogs do not care about their eggs, most of the eggs die. However, this can not be said about African frogs. Males of this species carefully guard their offspring. By protecting their tadpoles, they can attack a person.

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