Wolverine Frog

Trichobatrachus robustus

Amphibian

Transcript:

Today on Animal Fact Files we’re discussing wolverine frogs. These frogs are also known as the hairy frog for the hair-like structures found on males, which we’ll get to in just a bit. They’ve also been called horror frogs, though we aren’t really sure why. These frogs are awesome! Wolverine frogs live in central West Africa. They are found in forested habitats as well as agricultural fields and wetland areas like swamps. They don’t shy from fast moving waters though. In fact, their tadpoles can be found hanging out at the foot of waterfalls in fast flowing rivers! In elevation, wolverine frogs may be found up to nearly a mile (1.6km).

This amphibian’s diet consists of arthropods and other invertebrates. The adults, in turn, are eaten by people. Due to this frog’s defenses, humans hunt hairy frogs with long spears so they don’t have to actually touch the frogs while catching them. We’ll explain why soon. Hairy frog tadpoles may be eaten by fish. Currently they’re listed as least concern, though habitat loss and degradation is believed to be decreasing their population.

A wolverine frog’s head is wider than it is long. Their nostrils sit closer to their eyes rather than right on the tip of their snout like some other frog species. They get the name “wolverine frog” because of the claws on their back feet. As a means of defense, wolverine frogs can project bone through their skin which can cut into the flesh of would-be predators; this is why humans hunt them with long spears! Pushing bone through skin is like the character Wolverine, hence the common name. It’s believed the frogs can retract the bones when not in use and the skin will heal, again like the Marvel hero. This behavior is somewhat like a cat retracting its claws; however, cats don’t break their nails through their own skin. Wolverine frogs are the only known vertebrates to use claws made of actual bone without any kind of keratinous cover, though, technically there are a handful of frogs who have these claws. The wolverine frog species specifically has another interesting trait.

These frogs mate during the rainy season. Males likely call to females much like other frogs because they have vocal sacs. The males are larger than the females which is somewhat uncommon among frog species, though we’ve talked about other frogs, like the goliath frog, where the guys are larger. Wolverine frogs range in size from 3 to 5 inches (76-127mm) in length. Females produce clutches of two to over twenty eggs. These are laid in streams on rocks. The eggs are sticky. Over the course of the breeding season, the female may lay hundreds of eggs! The male wolverine frog protects the eggs and this may be why he becomes hairy.

Only the males become hairy and the filaments that protrude from his skin are not unlike gills. At full length, these structures can be well over half an inch (13mm) long! It’s from these filaments that hairy frogs get this common name. Frogs breathe through their skin, so more surface area means more opportunity to take in oxygen from the water. This is not unlike lasagna lizards with their lasagna-like skin flaps. After hatching, the tadpoles are reported to be muscular and even have teeth! So there’s thought they’re carnivorous. It’s likely they eat insect and fish larvae. It’s unknown how long these frogs live in the wild.

For more facts on wolverine frogs, check out the links below. Give a thumbs up if you learned something new today. Thank you to our Patrons SpikeSpiegel93, Dad, and everyone else for their support of this channel and a special shout out to Canary T. Robot for today’s request! And thank you for watching Animal Fact Files!