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Can I Eat This? See The Strange Animal A Man Captured And Wants To Know If It Is Safe To Eat It

Published

6 months ago

January 27, 2021

A South African man posted on Twitter images of a strange animal he caught. It was a small animal that looks like a tortoise without shells, swollen and shapeless. It is a kind of animal unfamiliar to Nigerians, and maybe you have never seen it too. Anyway, the young man went further to ask if he can eat it!

A brief google search showed that the animal, an amphibian, can live in both water and on land is call the Balloon Frog. The scientific name is Glyphoglossus molossus . According to Edujandon.com, the balloon frog is mostly found in South East Asia, in countries like Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam. It is not very common in Africa as it prefers mostly tropics. I have never seen one in Nigeria, maybe those living in the South-South have, but I am just learning about this animal for the first time. But is this animal eatable?

In Laos and the Asian countries in which the frog species are found, they are captured for food. According to Wikipedia, they are often barbecued – roasted and eaten. There is no account that they are dangerous when eaten, thus, it is safe to eat them. The South African man can go ahead and eat his fatten catch without fear.