A giant 'devil frog' existed around 70 million years ago on planet Earth and ate the baby&nbsp;dinosaurs, revealed a shocking study.&nbsp;

The 'devil frog' was as big as a beach ball and has been named as "Beelzebufo" - which is a combination of the Greek word "Beelzebub" meaning devil along with the toad's Latin word which is "bufo". This animal once existed in what is today known as Madagascar, as reported by IFL Science.

In 2008, a team of researchers from UCL and Stony Brook University discovered a fossil in Madagascar, after they believed that the Beelzebufo lived only in South America.

On the website of UCL, UCL Biosciences Professor Susan Evans said, "This frog, a relative of today's horned toads, would have been the size of a slightly squashed beach ball, with short legs and a big mouth."

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/bird-genes-store-memories-of-dinosaur-extiction-here-is-how-749319">Bird genes 'store' memories of dinosaur extinction: Here is how</a>

"If it shared the aggressive temperament and 'sit-and-wait' ambush tactics of living horned toads, it would have been a formidable predator on small animals," he added.

"Its diet would most likely have consisted of insects and small vertebrates like lizards but it's not impossible that Beelzebufo might even have munched on hatchling or juvenile dinosaurs," the professor further explained.

<h2>How did researchers discover Beelzebufo feasted on baby dinos?</h2>

As per the reports, Beelzebufo existed on Earth around 65-70 million years ago and is most likely the largest frog to have ever lived on planet Earth. However, it then became extinct.

To understand if Beelzebufo actually feasted on baby dinos,&nbsp;a research team observed how strongly horned toads bit on a bar.

Watch:&nbsp;Conservation Awareness in Zimbabwe: Former poacher is spreading awareness on conservation

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"Given that prey size is known to increase with body size in a variety of tetrapods and that Beelzebufo clearly had the ability to bite with considerable force, large individuals would have been able to prey upon a variety of contemporaneous taxa, including small/juvenile crocodiles and non-avian dinosaurs," discovered the study.

The researchers compared the strength of the bite and jaws of horned toads with the measurements of Beelzebufo which proved they did consume baby dinosaurs.

(With inputs from agencies)

A giant 'devil frog' existed around 70 million years ago on planet Earth and ate the baby dinosaurs, revealed a shocking study. The 'devil frog' was as big as a beach ball and has been named as "Beelzebufo" - which is a combination of the Greek word "Beelzebub" meaning devil along with the toad's Latin word which is "bufo".

A giant 'devil frog' existed around 70 million years ago on planet Earth and ate the baby dinosaurs, revealed a shocking study. The 'devil frog' was as big as a beach ball and has been named as "Beelzebufo" - which is a combination of the Greek word "Beelzebub" meaning devil along with the toad's Latin word which is "bufo". This animal once existed in what is today known as Madagascar, as reported by IFL Science. In 2008, a team of researchers from UCL and Stony Brook University discovered a fossil in Madagascar, after they believed that the Beelzebufo lived only in South America. On the website of UCL, UCL Biosciences Professor Susan Evans said, "This frog, a relative of today's horned toads, would have been the size of a slightly squashed beach ball, with short legs and a big mouth." Also Read: Bird genes 'store' memories of dinosaur extinction: Here is how "If it shared the aggressive temperament and 'sit-and-wait' ambush tactics of living horned toads, it would have been a formidable predator on small animals," he added. "Its diet would most likely have consisted of insects and small vertebrates like lizards but it's not impossible that Beelzebufo might even have munched on hatchling or juvenile dinosaurs," the professor further explained. How did researchers discover Beelzebufo feasted on baby dinos? As per the reports, Beelzebufo existed on Earth around 65-70 million years ago and is most likely the largest frog to have ever lived on planet Earth. However, it then became extinct. To understand if Beelzebufo actually feasted on baby dinos, a research team observed how strongly horned toads bit on a bar. Watch: Conservation Awareness in Zimbabwe: Former poacher is spreading awareness on conservation "Given that prey size is known to increase with body size in a variety of tetrapods and that Beelzebufo clearly had the ability to bite with considerable force, large individuals would have been able to prey upon a variety of contemporaneous taxa, including small/juvenile crocodiles and non-avian dinosaurs," discovered the study. The researchers compared the strength of the bite and jaws of horned toads with the measurements of Beelzebufo which proved they did consume baby dinosaurs. (With inputs from agencies)

This giant devilish animal once feasted on dinosaurs. Does this animal still exist?

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