FACT CHECK: Does This Image Show A Real ‘Hairy Frog’ Found In Cameroon?

An image shared on Facebook over 7,400 times purportedly shows a “hairy frog” found in Cameroon.

Facebook/Screenshot

Verdict: False

The image has been photoshopped. While there is a species of frog in which males have hair-like structures on their sides and legs, it does not resemble the creature in the image, according to an expert.

Fact Check:

The image shows what appears to be a brown, hair-covered frog sitting on a lily pad. The viral Facebook post’s caption reads in part, “Trichobatrachus Robustus….The Hairy Frog… Found in The Cameroons.”

While the Trichobatrachus robustus, sometimes called the “hairy frog,” is a real species of frog, it does not closely resemble the creature in the Facebook post. A description of the species found on Scientific American explains the “hair” on such frogs is not actually hair, but rather “frills of hair-like papillae” that grow along the sides and thighs of males during breeding season. Photos of the Trichobatrachus robustus, which is native to western Africa, can be found on Getty Images.

“That pic is fake – there is such a species but it doesn’t look like that,” Dr. Jodi Rowley, the curator of amphibian and reptile conservation biology at the Australian Museum Research Institute, said in an email to Check Your Fact.

The logo for the website Worth1000.com is visible in the image of the hair-covered frog being shared online. A reverse image search revealed it was originally shared as part of an art competition hosted by the website, which is now DesignCrowd.

“Make it hairy – either add hair onto something or recreate an object out of hair,” reads the competition’s instructions in part. “Anything. Living or animate. EXCEPT HUMANS.” (RELATED: Does This Photo Show A Real 7-Headed Snake?)

In the image’s description on DesignCrowd, the creator indicated it was made using Photoshop.

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