Saturday, December 13, 2008

BONC #3: Devil Frog!

How big can frogs get? You've seen those cute little green guys that hop around,right? Maybe you've also seen some big toads or bullfrogs, who usually look really serious and croak a lot. And maybe you've even seen the biggest frog alive, the Goliath Frog that lives in southern Africa and can grow to be up to a foot long from nose to rear.

Well, get ready for something even bigger, people. A recently dug-up fossil in Madagascar reveals a frog nearly a foot and a half long from nose to rear! It would have been about as long as your family cat and way fatter, weirder and uglier.

It is named -- believe it or not -- Beelzebufo*, which means Devil Frog. Agghh! Watch out for the Devil Frog! Thankfully it lived 65-70 million years ago, so the family cat, along with the rest of us, is safe.

You can read more about Devil Froggie here, or check out the original scientific report of it here.

*Maybe it's pronouced bee-zul-BOO-fo. Or maybe bay-EL-zeh-boo-fo. Personally I like that first way. It's funnier.

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