Ceratophrys
Ceratophrys cranwelli
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Amphibia
Order: Anura
Family: Ceratophryidae
Genus: Ceratophrys
Wied-Neuwied, 1824
Species

see text

Ceratophrys is a genus of frogs in the family Ceratophryidae. They are also known as South American horned frogs as well as Pacman frogs due to their characteristic round shape and large mouth, reminiscent of the video game character Pac-Man.

Species

There are eight species:[1][2]

ImageScientific nameCommon NameDistribution
Ceratophrys aurita (Raddi, 1823)Brazilian horned frog or Wied's frogBrazil.
Ceratophrys calcarata Boulenger, 1890Colombian horned frogColombia and Venezuela
Ceratophrys cornuta (Linnaeus, 1758)Surinam horned frognorthern part of South America
Ceratophrys cranwelli Barrio, 1980Cranwell's horned frogGran Chaco region of Argentina, Bolivia, Paraguay and Brazil.
Ceratophrys joazeirensis Mercadal de Barrio, 1986Joazeiro horned frogBrazil.
Ceratophrys ornata (Bell, 1843)Argentine horned frogArgentina, Uruguay and Brazil.
Ceratophrys stolzmanni Steindachner, 1882Stolzmann's horned frogEcuador and Peru
Ceratophrys testudo Andersson, 1945Ecuador horned frogEcuador.

Appearance and sex differentiation

They have green and brown dorsal coloration.[3]

The female frog will typically not "chirp" or "croak" as often as males, but does sometimes. Males frequently have spotted chests, and at about a year old the males develop spots on their "pads" or "fingers". Males will also sometimes have subtle pads on their front legs during mating season, as well as making a sound similar to a cicada to call to their mates. The female frog is also generally larger than the male frog.

Captivity

In captivity, C. cranwelli and C. ornata are the most popular species,[4] along with the "fantasy frog", a captive-produced hybrid between C. cranwelli and C. cornuta. These frogs can live in a 10-gallon aquarium for their entire lives. They will commonly cover themselves with substrate or just sit contentedly in the water.

Lifespan

The average lifespan of a Ceratophrys frog in the wild varies between 1 and 4 years. In captivity and as pets, depending on diet and care, they may live up to 15 years.[5]

A Pacman frog owner, for example, who offers a roomy and well-kept home, feeds their frog a balanced diet of live insects, and routinely evaluates its health should anticipate their frog to live closer to the higher end of the lifetime range.[6]

Diet

They are voracious eaters, often eating insects, small mammals (such as mice), fish, other frogs, and small reptiles.[7] A fully grown female Argentine Horned Frog (females are generally larger than males) can easily eat a grown rat. They are sit and wait predators.[3]

These frogs are also known to be cannibalistic, and have been known to eat their mates, even if they are larger than they are.

Although these frogs can swallow animals almost half their size, they sometimes attempt to eat things larger than they are. Their teeth, as well as bony projections in the front of the jaw, can make it difficult for them to release prey after taking it in their mouth, in some cases leading to death by choking.

They have a very sticky tongue which they use to catch prey and pull it into their jaws.[8]

Large individuals have bite forces comparable to those of mammalian predators.[9]

References

  1. ↑ Frost, Darrel R. (2014). "Ceratophrys Wied-Neuwied, 1824". Amphibian Species of the World: an Online Reference. Version 6.0. American Museum of Natural History. Retrieved 18 December 2014.
  2. ↑ "Ceratophryidae". AmphibiaWeb: Information on amphibian biology and conservation. [web application]. Berkeley, California: AmphibiaWeb. 2014. Archived from the original on 9 December 2014. Retrieved 18 December 2014.
  3. 1 2 Duellman, William; Lizana, Miguel (1994). "Biology of a Sit-and-Wait Predator, the Leptodactylid Frog Ceratophrys cornuta". Herpetologica. 50 (1): 51–64. JSTOR 3892875.
  4. ↑ Tillson-Willis, Andrew (October 13, 2017). "Pac-Man Frog Care And Information". Reptiles.
  5. ↑ Willard, Joshua (November 30, 2011). "Pac Man Frog Care Sheet". Reptiles.
  6. ↑ Sunny, Raajput (October 10, 2023). "A Complete Overview of Pacman Frog Teeth: 5 Facts and Care". Retrieved 2023-10-12.
  7. ↑ Schalk, C. M.; Montaña, C. G.; Klemish, J. L.; Wild, E. R. (2014). "On the diet of the frogs of the Ceratophryidae: synopsis and new contributions". South American Journal of Herpetology. 9 (2): 90–105. doi:10.2994/SAJH-D-14-00008.1. S2CID 54813663.
  8. ↑ Kleinteich, T.; Gorb, S.N. (2014). "Tongue adhesion in the horned frog Ceratophrys sp". Scientific Reports. 4: 5225. doi:10.1038/srep05225. PMC 5381498. PMID 24921415.
  9. ↑ Lappin, A. K.; Wilcox, S.C.; Moriarty D. J.; Stoeppler A. R.; Evans, S. E.; Jones, M.E.H. (2017). "Bite force in the horned frog (Ceratophrys cranwelli) with implications for extinct giant frogs". Scientific Reports. 7 (1): 11963. doi:10.1038/s41598-017-11968-6. PMC 5607344. PMID 28931936.
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