Beelzebufo

## BeelzebufoFly Lord Toad

**Bite Force** of 110 - 500 pounds

 **Main** Segments

MainSegments

***“ Beelzebufo, the 'Devil Toad', one of the largest frogs that has ever existed. ”***

― **David Attenborough**, *Freshwater*
***Beelzebufo*** (Fly Lord Toad, named after the Semitic deity that was eventually considered a demon, Beelzebul, whose name translates to "Lord of the Flies") is a genus of giant frog that lived in the Maevarano Formation, Madagascar, 70 - 66 million years ago, during the Maastrichtian stage of the Late Cretaceous Period.

## Description

### Size and Physique

***“ It was the size of a small dog, a fearsome hunter with an appearance to match. ”***

― **David Attenborough**, *Prehistoric Planet: Uncovered - What Else Lived Alongside The Dinosaurs?*
Previously thought to have been 42.5 centimeters (16.7 inches) long, more recent estimates have toned this down to 23.2 centimeters (9.1 inches), just as big as a modern-day African bullfrog, though a length of 30 centimeters (12 inches, or one foot) still seems possible. Even so, it is still one of the largest frogs ever known. Furthermore, the largest specimens of *Beelzebufo* have open sutures (fibrous skull joints), indicating that these individuals are not yet mature and thus could have grown even bigger.

***“ It had armored skull bones and armored backbone, heavily reinforced, and big, strong jaws. ”***

― **Marc Jones**, *Curator, Fossil Reptiles*
*Beelzebufo* had a huge skull with rough surfaces indicating that its head was partially covered with scutes (bony scales), making it look similar to modern-day South American horned frogs, though it's been suggested that, since they were not as closely related as first thought, *Beelzebufo* did not resemble these horned frogs too much, thus, Prehistoric Planet avoided giving *Beelzebufo* a similar form as the South American horned frogs.

***“ Beelzebufo had an especially powerful bite. It would have been able to grab and subdue and kill even relatively large prey up to the size of baby dinosaurs. ”***

― **Dr. Darren Naish**, *Lead Scientific Consultant*
Bite force calculations based on a Cranwell's horned frog suggest that a *Beelzebufo* with a skull width of 15.4 cm (6.1 in) could have exerted a bite force of 110 - 500 pounds.

### Prehistoric Planet's Depiction

*Main: *Beelzebufo* on Prehistoric Planet*

Main: *Beelzebufo* on Prehistoric Planet

*Beelzebufo* was featured in the fifth segment of Freshwater, ambushing and devouring a juvenile *Masiakasaurus* as it ran past his pool. The devil toad reappeared in the third segment of Swamps, where it scares off an adult *Masiakasaurus*, and spends the rest of the segment trying to call out for mates despite the disturbances caused by a visiting herd of *Rapetosaurus*. Due to being one of the biggest frogs ever known, capable of being a threat to small dinosaurs, *Beelzebufo* served as the first focus of the Uncovered segment "What Else Lived Alongside The Dinosaurs?"

## Habitat

*Main: Maevarano Formation*

Main: Maevarano Formation

***“ In Northern Madagascar, conditions are already changing. The first rain in months is reviving the parched land. As pools and channels refill, the animals return. ”***

― **David Attenborough**, *Swamps*
*Beelzebufo* lived 70 - 66 million years ago in the Maevarano Formation in the Mahajanga Province of Madagascar. The Maevarano Formation is recognized as an alluvial plain where the discharge of rivers fluctuate. The area is also believed to have had reddish soil, with floodplains that supported vegetation able to grow in the relatively dry climate. The region, at times semi-arid (like it is today), at times undergoing strong dry and wet seasons, was eventually claimed by rising sea levels that pushed the shoreline back. This may or may not have been the result of the Cretaceous-Paleogene Extinction Event, a catastrophe that wiped out three-quarters of life on Earth.

## Behavior

Much of *Beelzebufo's* actions on the show are based on the observed behavior of many anurans (frogs and toads) today.

### Hunting Preferences

Given its size and its relatively-strong bite force, *Beelzebufo* would have been able to hunt even prey as large as baby dinosaurs. For healthy individuals, a sufficiently-sized meal is enough for a month.

### Mating Habits

***“ Female devil toads are fussy, so he needs to find a good spot. Only then will he he able to entice them in. His deep croaks travel far and wide. ”***

― **David Attenborough**, *Swamps*
A male devil toad's chances of attracting a mate are short on time, for it is stated that the females will only mate at the start of the rainy season. The male in the third segment of Swamps is depicted securing a mud pool for himself, a pond from where he could call out to females in the surrounding area with a song of low-pitched, resonating croaks, strong enough to make quite significant vibrations in the water. This is in-line with the behavior of modern-day anurans, some of which are even known to plan further ahead by building special breeding pools for the eggs, constructing channels for their tadpoles to move from one area to another, and even visiting and providing food for their young every day.

*Beelzebufo* can also prove to be territorial. Territoriality is connected with mating, for, with a place they can call their own, animals can impress attracted females. Furthermore, the larger their personal space, the more likely for them to mate undisturbed, hence, the male *Beelzebufo* was willing to deter even larger animals that approach him and his chosen turf too closely with hisses and growls (similar to how frogs and toads today ward off threats and foes with a variety of vocalizations ranging from hisses to high-pitched screams), and if the nuisance is small enough (e.g. an adult *Masiakasaurus*), he is ready to chase them away.

### Reproductive Habits

Nothing is known regarding the reproductive habits of *Beelzebufo*. They could have produced small clutches of juveniles and provided active parental care by guarding their tadpoles. *Beelzebufo* may have also given birth to live young or laid eggs that hatched into fully-developed forms much like the adults (some frogs and toads today evolved to skip the tadpole phase entirely due to factors like a lack of suitable wet areas for tadpoles to live in, so it is entirely possibl *Beelzebufo* may have had the same strategies to circumvent the semi-arid conditions of the Maevarano Formation).

## References

### General

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 New Material of *Beelzebufo*, a Hyperossified Frog (Amphibia: Anura) from the Late Cretaceous of Madagascar
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Bite force in the horned frog (*Ceratophrys cranwelli*) with implications for extinct giant frogs
3. ↑ A giant frog with South American affinities from the Late Cretaceous of Madagascar

### Dr. Darren Naish

1. ↑ *Beelzebufo* could plausibly reach a maximum length of 30 centimeters (12 inches, or one foot).
2. ↑ It isn't good to base *Beelzebufo's* appearance off of South American horned frogs.
3. ↑ Some research about frog vocalizations was done, and Prehistoric Planet depicted it realistically by vibrating a 3D-printed *Beelzebufo* model in the water.
4. ↑ Anurans seek out pools to serve as a mating and breeding base, calling out females by vocalizing, and they may even plan ahead by forming special spawning pools, channels for tadpoles to travel from area to area, and even providing food for their young every day. Their activities could be interrupted and ruined (albeit unintentionally) by larger animals, like *Rapetosaurus* in the case of *Beelzebufo*.
5. ↑ Nothing is known of *Beelzebufo's* reproductive habits, though aspects of it can be assumed based on modern-day anurans. *Beelzebufo* may have laid small clutches of eggs, guarded its tadpoles, or gave birth to live young, thus skipping the tadpole phase entirely.