The Horned frog is known by various names, including the Argentine wide-mouthed frog, Pacman frog, Ornate Horned frog, and Bell’s Horned frog.
These frogs stand out with their horn-like eyes and wide mouth by way of appearance. Horned frogs bury under the leaves of the forest, looking for prey with their head exposed.
Interestingly, their peculiar build also helps them in this camouflage. They pounce on anything that walks by them, and as they are not picky with their diet,
they gain excess weight by eating anything that comes their way. However, this camouflage doesn’t always help them from their predators that include snakes and birds.
The Horned frog (Ceratophrys ornata) is currently listed as Near Threatened as per the International Union for Conservation of Nature, considering
it is closer to extinction in the near future. This animal has a roundish body, stubby limbs, with bumpy skin. One peculiar feature of this frog is that its jaw is as wide as its head.
Males have dark-bearded throats, and females have no beard. They generally come in different colors, such as beige, yellow, green, brown, and red, on their limbs
and black with light yellow or white on the undersides. Owing to their short legs, they are particularly good at jumping. This species is recognizable for its horn-like eyes too.
This amphibian stands out because of its size; it can grow up to 8 in (20 cm), covering an average tea saucer.
Female frogs can grow to a larger than males. An average female can be up to 6.5 in (16.5 cm), while a male can reach up to 4.5 in (11.4 cm).
Adult frogs can reach a little over one pound, but they are more commonly half a pound on average. Females are almost double in size than their male counterparts.
Just like all frogs, they hop and jump around rather than running. Due to the short limbs, they are not great at jumping.
In the forest, the Horned frogs’ diet includes small mice, reptiles, insects, spiders, among other small wild creatures.
Their ability to swallow anything, even if the prey is of their own size, adds to their reputation.
For this reason, they are also known to suffocate prey while catching it, but they are also highly voracious.
Horned frogs prefer wet, humid tropical rainforests with leafy muddy floors. They commonly make their home in temporary water bodies.
They may also reside near an irrigated cropland and roadside ditches made by humans if possible.
The Pacman frog (Ceratophrys ornata) is believed to reach sexual maturity between 18-24 months of age.
Male frogs produce loud calls to attract female frogs, and they breed in small pools of water during the rainy season in the late spring.
They lay up to 1,000-1,500 eggs per season upon successful fertilization, and females wrap these eggs around aquatic plants until they hatch, which usually takes about 3-25 days.
The average lifespan of this frog is six to seven years. They are known to survive longer for up to 10-15 years in captivity.
Are they dangerous?The Horned frog (Ceratophrys ornata) is an ‘observation‘ pet. They are best not handled with bare hands because they tend to bite.
Being kept in isolation is well suited to them as they are also not very compatible with others.
Horned frogs can shoot out blood confusing their predators in the wild; this blood contains toxins that can be life-threatening to its predators
like wolves, coyotes, and dogs. Sometimes, these animals are killed mistakenly because of this behavior.
Would they make a good pet?Mostly prone to the pet trade, this amphibian makes a good choice for a beginner looking to keep an exotic pet frog. It adjusts well in captivity with fresh water at all times.
They are prone to infection if there is no clean water or temperature regulation in their enclosure, and this may even lead to death.
This animal has to be kept alone, including juveniles and babies, in their enclosure as they are very territorial.
Their diet is also fairly simple to manage; juveniles can be fed crickets, small mice, and small goldfish. Similarly, adult frogs’ diet may include giant goldfish, rats, and mice.
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