Giant Prehistoric Frogs Ate Small Dinosaurs, Claim Scientists
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Exceptionally large individuals of Beelzebufo ampinga, an extinct species of frog that lived in Madagascar during the Late Cretaceous epoch, about 68 million years ago, were capable of eating small dinosaurs, according to an international research team led by California State Polytechnic University scientists.
This conclusion comes from a study of the bite force of extant South American horned frogs (genus Ceratophrys).
“Unlike the vast majority of frogs which have weak jaws and typically consume small prey, horned frogs ambush animals as large as themselves — including other frogs, snakes, and rodents,” explained co-author Dr. Marc Jones, from the University of Adelaide and the South Australian Museum.
“And their powerful jaws play a critical role in grabbing and subduing the prey.”
Dr. Jones and co-authors from the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia found that small horned frogs, with head width of about 1.8 inches (4.5 cm), can bite with a force of 30 newtons (N), or about 3 kg/6.6 lbs.
A scaling experiment, comparing bite force with head and body size, calculated that large horned frogs that are found in the tropical and subtropical moist lowland forests of South America, with a head width of up to 4 inches (10 cm), would have a bite force of almost 500 N. This is comparable to reptiles and mammals with a similar head size.
“This would feel like having 50 liters of water balanced on your fingertip,” explained lead author Professor Kristopher Lappin, of California State Polytechnic University.
“Many people find horned frogs hilarious because of their big heads and fat, round bodies,” said co-author Sean Wilcox, a PhD candidate at the University of California, Riverside.
“Yet, these predators have given us a rare opportunity to learn something more about the biology of a huge extinct frog.”
The team estimated the bite force of the extinct frog Beelzebufo ampinga may have had a bite up to 2,200 N, comparable to formidable mammalian predators such as wolves and female tigers.
“At this bite force, Beelzebufo ampinga would have been capable of subduing the small and juvenile dinosaurs that shared its environment,” Dr. Jones said.
“This is the first time bite force has been measured in a frog,” Professor Lappin said.
“And, speaking from experience, horned frogs have quite an impressive bite, and they tend not to let go.”
“The bite of a large Beelzebufo ampinga would have been remarkable, definitely not something I would want to experience firsthand.”
The study appears today in the journal Scientific Reports.
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