African bullfrog
African Bullfrog ( Pyxicephalus adspersus )
The African bullfrog ( Pyxicephalus adspersus; deprecated synonym: Rana adspersa ) is also called Speckled Frog grave. There is a very large, massive Froschlurch, which is native to the southern and southeastern Africa. In most systematic reviews, the kind of family the Real frogs will be assigned. However, some authors postulate also a separate family Pyxicephalidae.
- 4.1 Notes and references
- 4.2 Literature
- 4.3 External links
Features
Pyxicephalus adspersus has a maximum snout-vent length of 24.5 cm and can then be 1.4kg. However, such measures achieve the males; the female specimens remain significantly smaller. The body has a strong stocky and has a kurzschnauzigen, broad head with a huge mouth. In the lower jaw are three large, pointed, tooth-like bone structures. Front and rear legs are built very muscular, hind limbs sit up to the knee joints in the fuselage skin. On top of a plurality of skin wrinkles extending in the longitudinal direction, moreover, the skin of warty - grained structure. The coloring on the upper side ranges from greenish to brownish gray above. Occasionally, dark spots; especially in young animals also a bright vertical stripes on the center back. The bottom and armpits are whitish colored to yellow. The pupils of the eyes are aligned horizontally. Webbed toes are only hinted at. Hardening, shaped into hock blades on the soles use the frogs to quickly dig into the ground.
Occurrence of life
The African Bullfrog is widespread in parts of Angola, Botswana, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Zambia, Somalia, South Africa, Tanzania and Zimbabwe. It occurs in savanna areas where form during the rainy season pools. This requires the kind of reproduction and development of tadpoles. For most of the year living Pyxicephalus adspersus terrestrial and digs burrows to protect against dryness. The report may also take a longer time phases (dry bed ). African bullfrogs feed carnivorous beings who can overpower them; these are sometimes barely smaller than themselves side invertebrates, small snakes, rats and mice are also other frogs for food spectrum - intraspecific cannibalism is often the case, even among the juveniles. Animals may be 45 years old, but probably only in captivity, allegedly.
Predators, defense behavior
Among the predators are especially pelicans and Nile monitors. But even people catch and eat these frogs. For malfunctions and peril defend it vigorously through jumping and biting the opponent. They emit a noise that recalls the lowing of the oxen.
Reproductive behavior
Spawning is triggered by heavy rains. The males migrate en masse in shallow water accumulations and express loud, barking mating calls. Younger animals tend to keep in the peripheral areas, while large, dominant males occupy the center. This put a very aggressive territorial behavior on the day and try to expel rivals. It can also lead to injuries and deaths. The appearing females go swimming and diving specifically in the middle in order to mate with the strongest males. The eggs are released then concentrated on a flat area, where the insemination of the exiting spawn yet taken place above the water level. The eggs of most females in a spawning society are fertilized by the same, most dominant males. This guarded later the hatch and within a few weeks finished developing tadpoles.
Endangering
The total stock of the African bullfrog is classified by the IUCN currently with "LC" ( least concern = not at risk ). In western industrialized countries, the species is occasionally kept as a terrarium. These individuals come from captive bred.