Banded bullfrog
The banded bullfrog (Kaloula pulchra) is a medium-sized frog with a stocky body. It’s known by many names, including Asian painted frog, digging frog, painted balloon frog, Malaysian bullfrog, and the chubby frog in the pet trade. Adults are about 5.4–7.5 cm long. The back is dark brown with stripes that can be copper-brown to salmon pink, and the belly is cream.
It comes from Southeast Asia but is now found in many places. It lives in cities, farms, forests, and other habitats up to about 750 meters above sea level. The frog buries itself underground to escape dry periods and comes out after heavy rain to call and breed.
Its main diet is ants and termites, but it also eats other small invertebrates. Predators include snakes, dragonfly larvae, and snails. If threatened, it puffs up its body and secretes a foul white substance to deter predators.
Females are slightly larger than males. Tadpoles hatch small and become frogs after about two weeks. Breeding happens after rains, so the frogs emerge from burrows to breed in rain pools or ponds.
The banded bullfrog is listed as Least Concern by the IUCN because it is widespread, adaptable, and has a large population. It is common in the pet trade and has been introduced outside its native range in places such as Taiwan, the Philippines, Guam, Singapore, Borneo, and Sulawesi. There have been sightings in Australia and New Zealand, but no established populations there. In some areas like Florida, attempts to establish populations were controlled. In the Philippines, people collect them for trade or food, and there are concerns about illegal sales in other regions.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 11:12 (CET).