Goliath the tadpole 🐸

Goliath the tadpole 🐸

Photo: courtesy of Alina Downer

I've seen massive Asian bullfrogs that stretch to the size of an adult's palm, while their tadpoles measure "only" 3-4 inches in length. When I say “only,” I'm drawing a comparison to this colossal Goliath. See the photos to believe it.

In a surprising discovery, biologists found an enormous tadpole in a shallow pond in Arizona. Measuring a remarkable 257 millimeters (10.1 inches) and still growing, the colossal tadpole outdoes the former champion in bullfrog (Rana catesbeiana) tadpole size by a significant 67 millimeters (2.5 inches), and it surpasses the previous record for an African clawed frog (Xenopus laevis) tadpole by 37 millimeters (1.4 inches). Its circumference even exceeds that of a soda can. This tadpole, which was initially mistaken for a fish due to its immense size, was affectionately named Goliath. A biologist, Earyn McGee says that its size was likely due to a hormone imbalance. Researchers from the Southwestern Research Station suspected that Goliath did not undergo metamorphosis into a frog due to this condition. While Goliath's size could provide advantages in terms of food intake, it could also pose challenges to its respiratory and circulatory systems. The tadpole's measurements, growth rate, feeding habits, and behavior were studied for a peer-reviewed analysis. However, Goliath had died in 2019.

Dr. David Pfennig from the University of North Carolina says, “The normal developmental hormones, such as thyroid hormones, maybe ‘turned off’ or downregulated, while the growth hormones may be ‘turned on’ or upregulated.”

Sources:

https://www.livescience.com/63238-goliath-giant-tadpole.html

https://www.americanscientist.org/.../the-giant-tadpole...