Devil toad, also called devil frog or Beelzebufo, the name of its genus (group), was a giant frog of Madagascar that now is extinct. It lived about 65 million to 70 million years ago, near the end of the Cretaceous Period.
The devil toad was the size and shape of a flattened beach ball. It may have reached 16 inches (41 centimeters) in length, not including the legs. The devil toad may have weighed as much as 10 pounds (4.5 kilograms). By contrast, the largest living frog, the Goliath frog of West Africa, reaches only about 1 foot long (30 centimeters) and about 7 pounds (3.2 kilograms).
Many scientists think the devil toad belongs to a group of frogs known as horned frogs. These frogs are sometimes called Pac-Man frogs, because their wide mouths and aggressive feeding remind people of the video game character Pac-Man. Like horned frogs, the devil toad had a wide mouth for its size. It may also have featured the fleshy, hornlike flaps of tissue behind the eyes that give many horned frogs their name.
The devil toad lived in a seasonal climate, with long dry periods and short rainy periods. With its powerful jaws, huge mouth, and short hind legs, the frog was likely an aggressive ambush hunter, lunging forward to seize prey. The devil toad may have even fed on such sizable prey as hatchling dinosaurs.
The first fossil fragments of the devil toad were found in 1993. The frog was formally described in 2008, after scientists found and assembled enough specimens. The devil toad is so named for its large size and the “horns” it may have had on its head.
