Have You Seen This Frog? Commonly Known As The 'Blunt-Headed Burrowing Frog', He Blows Up With Air When He Feels Threatened

Earlier this year, a picture of a frog was posted on twitter that immediately set the internet alight, with many puzzled and flummoxed at the sight of the unusual creature. Many twitter users even went as far as to claim that the image had been photoshopped or had been somehow altered simply in order to attract attention. We can now confirm though, that the image is 100% authentic and can identify the creature in the image as a 'Blunt-headed Burrowing Frog' (Glyphoglossus molossus).

The image shows the frog with a huge rotund body, almost perfectly spherical, and a tiny compacted head. The scepticism arising in the online community could be said to be somewhat justified, but what viewers didn't realise, is that this is exactly what the frog looks like when it feels that it is in danger. When posed with a threat, the Blunt-headed Burrowing Frog literally blows himself up with air in order to make himself look more dangerous and threatening.

This #frog is doing the rounds on social media. It’s a Blunt-headed Burrowing Frog (Glyphoglossus molossus). Native to drier parts of mainland SE Asia, this species spends most of its life underground, waiting for rain- they’ve a great shape for burrowing & conserving water. https://t.co/oic1ymL5MX

— Jodi Rowley (@jodirowley) January 7, 2021

This amazing frog is native to South-East Asia, in particular Cambodia (where it appears the image posted on twitter was taken), Laos and Thailand. Living in the forest it is found around small bodies of water where it feeds on small insects for its diet.

They breed by laying as many as 300 eggs into small holes that they burrow, hence the name 'burrowing frog'.

The frog is also eaten as a popular food, mostly in Thailand, where it is considered a delicacy. The frogs are caught and then usually barbecued. They are regarded as being highly tasty and some people are known to eat the frog in its entirety after cooking.

While the frog is not considered to be endangered, large amounts of hunting has led to a decline in their numbers and several governments in the region now have breeding programs and conservation sites in place.

While the frog may be unusual, he is certainly just one of the many weird and wonderful creatures found across the planet.

h/t: My Modern Met