Toadzilla, the largest frog found in Australia


Wildlife officers in Australia found a huge frog in a rainforest in northern Australia, which they named Toadzilla.

According to the BBC website, the "monster frog" specimen is six times larger than the average frog, weighs 2.7 kg, and could break a world record.

 

The animal, called "Toadzilla", was quickly placed in an enclosure and removed from the wild.

 

The frogs - which were first introduced to Australia in 1935 - are one of the most damaging pests in the country and are now estimated to number over 2 billion.

 
What is a Toadzilla frog?

When zookeeper Kylie Gray first spotted the massive amphibian while out on patrol in Queensland, she couldn't believe her eyes.

"I've never seen anything this big," she told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. It looked almost like a soccer ball with legs, so we named it Toadzilla.

Her team quickly captured Toadzilla - who is believed to be a female - and returned to base to weigh her, as they knew she would be heavy, but were surprised that a new world record could be set.

The Guinness Book of World Records for the largest frog - 2.65 kg - was recorded by a pet frog in Sweden called Prinsen in 1991.

Ms Gray says this giant specimen may have fed on a diet of insects, reptiles and small mammals.

"A frog this big will eat anything it can fit in its mouth," Gray added.

Frogs have no natural predators in Australia, where toxic species have wreaked havoc on native animal populations.

Mrs. Gray isn't sure about Toadzilla's lifespan—the species can live up to 15 years in the wild—but she thinks it has "been around for a long time".

Toadzilla has since been killed, as is the norm in Australia for pests, and will be donated to the Queensland Museum.

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