By Catia Carmo
Jan 20, 2023 • 11:42 am
Animal rights activists in northern Australia found a frog so big they thought it was a fake in a rainforest. “Toadzilla,” as it’s been called, is six times the size of an average toad. It weighs 2.7 kilos and could break the record for the world’s largest frog, which previously stood at 2.65 kilos.
As soon as they managed to catch the animal, specialists put it in a container and removed it from the wild. Ranger Kylee Gray couldn’t believe her eyes as she patrolled Queensland.
“I’ve never seen anything that big. [Parecia] a soccer ball with legs. We called him Toadzilla,” Kylee Gray told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
Kylee Gray’s team quickly captured “Toadzilla,” believed to be a woman, and weighed her. They knew it would be difficult but were surprised it might set a new world record. They suspect that this giant frog ate insects, reptiles, and small mammals.
“A frog this size will eat anything it can fit in its mouth,” the ranger believes.
CloseSubscribe to newsletter
They’re also unsure of the age of “Toadzilla,” but believe it “has been around for a long time” and that the species can live up to 15 years in the wild. However, they euthanized the frog, as is customary for vermin in Australia. The remains will be donated to the Queensland Museum.
Frogs are one of the country’s most damaging pests, estimated to number in the hundreds of millions today. They have no natural predators in Australia and the venomous species have wreaked havoc on native animal populations.