Dog-fanged Frog
The dog-fanged frog or Dog-toothed Frog is a large Pyxicephalid frog from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is a close relative of the more well known African Bullfrog
Appearance and Biology
Dog-toothed Frogs are usually large, broad, and fat, mostly grey-green on their backs, with paler underbellies. During spawning seasons males will develop a large orange patch on their chest and stomach, which is used in combination with their calls to attract a female.
As its name suggests the Dog-fanged Frog has a set of sharp canine teeth in its upper and lower jaws,which can leave large puncture marks resembling the wounds that a dog's teeth would leave
The Dog-fanged Frog also has a forked tongue.
Behavior and Ecology
Dog-fanged Frogs can be incredibly aggressive towards humans, especially during spawning where males will attack anything that remotely comes close to them. Clamping down their jaws on a perceived attacker until they have moved sufficiently far away from their nest or are killed.
They breed in shallow, temporary water bodies, such as pools, pans, and ditches. Eggs are laid in the shallow edge of the pond, but fertilization takes place above water.
The males call out during the rainy season. The call lasts about a second and can be described as a low-pitched whoop. Males have two breeding strategies, depending on their age. Young males congregate in a small area, perhaps only 1–2 m2 (11–22 sq ft) of shallow water. The larger males occupy the centre of these breeding arenas or leks, and attempt to chase off other males. Often, they fight, causing injury or even killing one another. The dominant male attempts to prevent other males from breeding. A female approaches the group of males by swimming along at the surface until she is within a few metres of the group. Then, the female dives to avoid the smaller males and surfaces in the defended area of a larger male in the middle of the group. This helps to ensure that she mates with the dominant male.
The female lays about 3,000 to 4,000 eggs at a time. The tadpoles hatch, and after two days, start feeding on vegetation, small fish, invertebrates, and even each other. Defending males continue to watch over the tadpoles, which metamorphose within three weeks. During the tadpole's development, the father guards his young. Due to the male bullfrog's overprotective behaviour, he pounces and bites anything that he views as a threat. If the pool is in danger of drying out, the father uses his legs and head to dig a canal from the drying pond to a bigger pond. He continues to guard the tadpoles until they are old enough to fend for themselves, although he may also eat some of them.
Conservation
The Dog-fanged Frog is currently classified as Endangered due to shrinking rainforests, pollutions and hunting for bushmeat and by Cryptid hunters to sell their teeth to be used in Chinese Traditional medicine or to collect their poison sacs to make new and unique hallucinogenic drugs.
According to natives, populations of this frog are declining and they are becoming more and more rare.