The first thing that stands out about the Amazon horned frog is its size. These rotund amphibians can grow to 8 inches (20 centimeters) in length and would cover a good-size tea saucer. They are found in freshwater marshes and pools throughout the Amazon Basin, from Colombia to Brazil.
Amazon horned frogs achieve their enormous girth by being generally indiscriminate about what they eat. Typical ambush predators, they squeeze their bodies into the forest substrate or leaf litter so only their heads protrude. When anything smaller than their own bodies happens by, they spring from the mud and swallow their prey whole, locking it in their jaws with their sharp teeth.
They are aggressively territorial and voracious to a fault. Some have been found dead in the wild with the remains of an impossible-to-ingest victim still protruding from their mouths. Their ravenous appetite and huge mouths have earned them and other horned frogs the pet-trade nickname "Pac Man frogs."
Females are generally larger than males, but males are more ornately colored, ranging from dark green to lime-colored. Females are usually tan. Scientists are unsure what purpose their namesake horns serve, but it is likely they aid in camouflage, resembling leaf stems in the wild.
With their large mouth and abdomen and their desire to gobble up everything in their path, it's not hard to understand how the Pacman frog got its common name.
Pacman frogs, prevalent to South America, make up a number of species and are considered Horned frogs. Horned frogs are named so because of the large fleshy points above their eyes that resemble small horns.
The Ornate horned frog, also known as the Argentine horned frog, the Argentine Wide-Mouth frog, and Bell horned frog, is the most common species of Horned frogs and hails from the rain forests of Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil. Ornate horned frogs are usually marked in bright green, brownish red, and yellow blotches and spots. Cranwell's horned frogs, also called the Chacoan horned frog, is a terrestrial frog native to the dry Gran Chaco region of Argentina. Cranwell's horned frogs are less colorful, usually covered in different shades of brown blotches and spots. Both species are commonly sold in pet stores as Pacman Frogs.
Albino Pacman frogs are common with both species as well, and both share irregular small fleshy points and tiny bumps that cover the dorsal side, while the ventral side is smooth. Their mouths are as wide as their heads and are equipped with strong gripping jaws and a wide, pink fleshy tongue. Pacman frogs are famous for eating anything they can shove in their large jaws and swallowing items as large as themselves. Some have been found in the wild asphyxiated to death as they tried to make a meal out of an animal far too large to ingest.
The heavy-bodied and short-legged Pacman Frog is adapted to life in seasonally wet regions. In the wild, the Pacman Frog spends a good part of each year burrowed beneath the ground awaiting the onset of the rains and any prey that enters their path. Like all frogs, they sleep with their eyes open.
Sexing the Pacman Frog is not easy as the only visible difference between the two sexes is size and the dark "beards" on males throats. Males grow between 2.5 and 4.5 inches while females grow from 4-6 inches in snout-vent length. A female Pacman frog will not chirp, or croak, whereas a male specimen of the same species will, typically in calling out for a mating partner.
Pacman frogs are considered hardy pets as their native habitat is a temperate climate. With proper lighting and misting, a generous variable in temperature and humidity makes the Pacman frog relatively easy to maintain, especially when compared to other reptiles and amphibians. While some consider the Pacman frog to be a fascinating pet, it is important to keep in mind that they are meant to be handled as little as possible, and remain relatively still in their enclosure.Pacman frog is the general name for any frog with unusually large abdomen and mouth. These types of frogs are usually under the family Neobatrachia. Just like its name, the family is amongst the newly formed family under the order Anura (the order composed of frogs and toads).
Pacman frogs have mouths as wide as their bodies - showing a semblance to the Pacman videogame character. Pacman frogs are generally varicolored species. There are many different color variants and combinations existing. The most common colors would be green, dark brown, red and albino. Albinos, despite being called such, actually have bright yellow markings.
Pacman frogs are what you could call horned frogs because of the projections on their bodies. The majority of Pacman frogs are endemic or in non-scientific terms, exclusively found in South America. The quintessential example of the Pacman frog is the Argentine horned frog. This frog, like its name, could be found in countries such as Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay.
Pacman frogs are famous for being astonishingly large frogs. The females of the species are larger than the males. Perhaps due to mating reasons, males could produce croaking sounds while females could not.
The female Pacman frogs could measure up to 15cm or around six inches while the smaller of the species -- the males -- measures around 10cm or approximately four inches. This measurement pertains to both vertical and horizontal length because the Pacman frog is as wide as it is long. Other than their unusually large mouths (or perhaps it is an outgrowth of this innate trait), Pacman frogs are named as such because they are voracious gluttonous eaters.
In fact, eating is what the Pacman frog was born for. Pacman frogs generally sit still the remainder of the day - moving only when they're hungry. Pacman frogs are infamous for being lazy frogs - sitting on dry patches until it is time to eat again. Pacman frogs will eat anything. In fact, they eat so much they might attempt to eat something bigger than them.
Located along their upper jaws, Pacman frogs sport a row of sharp teeth. When they try to eat something bigger than them, these teeth help them capture prey. However, it can also be the cause of their death. This is because they would not be able to let go of something they already have in their mouths due to their teeth. Therefore, if it is something bigger than them, death by suffocation is the usual outcome.
Amazon horned frogs achieve their enormous girth by being generally indiscriminate about what they eat. Typical ambush predators, they squeeze their bodies into the forest substrate or leaf litter so only their heads protrude. When anything smaller than their own bodies happens by, they spring from the mud and swallow their prey whole, locking it in their jaws with their sharp teeth.
They are aggressively territorial and voracious to a fault. Some have been found dead in the wild with the remains of an impossible-to-ingest victim still protruding from their mouths. Their ravenous appetite and huge mouths have earned them and other horned frogs the pet-trade nickname "Pac Man frogs."
Females are generally larger than males, but males are more ornately colored, ranging from dark green to lime-colored. Females are usually tan. Scientists are unsure what purpose their namesake horns serve, but it is likely they aid in camouflage, resembling leaf stems in the wild.
With their large mouth and abdomen and their desire to gobble up everything in their path, it's not hard to understand how the Pacman frog got its common name.
Pacman frogs, prevalent to South America, make up a number of species and are considered Horned frogs. Horned frogs are named so because of the large fleshy points above their eyes that resemble small horns.
The Ornate horned frog, also known as the Argentine horned frog, the Argentine Wide-Mouth frog, and Bell horned frog, is the most common species of Horned frogs and hails from the rain forests of Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil. Ornate horned frogs are usually marked in bright green, brownish red, and yellow blotches and spots. Cranwell's horned frogs, also called the Chacoan horned frog, is a terrestrial frog native to the dry Gran Chaco region of Argentina. Cranwell's horned frogs are less colorful, usually covered in different shades of brown blotches and spots. Both species are commonly sold in pet stores as Pacman Frogs.
Albino Pacman frogs are common with both species as well, and both share irregular small fleshy points and tiny bumps that cover the dorsal side, while the ventral side is smooth. Their mouths are as wide as their heads and are equipped with strong gripping jaws and a wide, pink fleshy tongue. Pacman frogs are famous for eating anything they can shove in their large jaws and swallowing items as large as themselves. Some have been found in the wild asphyxiated to death as they tried to make a meal out of an animal far too large to ingest.
The heavy-bodied and short-legged Pacman Frog is adapted to life in seasonally wet regions. In the wild, the Pacman Frog spends a good part of each year burrowed beneath the ground awaiting the onset of the rains and any prey that enters their path. Like all frogs, they sleep with their eyes open.
Sexing the Pacman Frog is not easy as the only visible difference between the two sexes is size and the dark "beards" on males throats. Males grow between 2.5 and 4.5 inches while females grow from 4-6 inches in snout-vent length. A female Pacman frog will not chirp, or croak, whereas a male specimen of the same species will, typically in calling out for a mating partner.
Pacman frogs are considered hardy pets as their native habitat is a temperate climate. With proper lighting and misting, a generous variable in temperature and humidity makes the Pacman frog relatively easy to maintain, especially when compared to other reptiles and amphibians. While some consider the Pacman frog to be a fascinating pet, it is important to keep in mind that they are meant to be handled as little as possible, and remain relatively still in their enclosure.Pacman frog is the general name for any frog with unusually large abdomen and mouth. These types of frogs are usually under the family Neobatrachia. Just like its name, the family is amongst the newly formed family under the order Anura (the order composed of frogs and toads).
Pacman frogs have mouths as wide as their bodies - showing a semblance to the Pacman videogame character. Pacman frogs are generally varicolored species. There are many different color variants and combinations existing. The most common colors would be green, dark brown, red and albino. Albinos, despite being called such, actually have bright yellow markings.
Pacman frogs are what you could call horned frogs because of the projections on their bodies. The majority of Pacman frogs are endemic or in non-scientific terms, exclusively found in South America. The quintessential example of the Pacman frog is the Argentine horned frog. This frog, like its name, could be found in countries such as Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay.
Pacman frogs are famous for being astonishingly large frogs. The females of the species are larger than the males. Perhaps due to mating reasons, males could produce croaking sounds while females could not.
The female Pacman frogs could measure up to 15cm or around six inches while the smaller of the species -- the males -- measures around 10cm or approximately four inches. This measurement pertains to both vertical and horizontal length because the Pacman frog is as wide as it is long. Other than their unusually large mouths (or perhaps it is an outgrowth of this innate trait), Pacman frogs are named as such because they are voracious gluttonous eaters.
In fact, eating is what the Pacman frog was born for. Pacman frogs generally sit still the remainder of the day - moving only when they're hungry. Pacman frogs are infamous for being lazy frogs - sitting on dry patches until it is time to eat again. Pacman frogs will eat anything. In fact, they eat so much they might attempt to eat something bigger than them.
Located along their upper jaws, Pacman frogs sport a row of sharp teeth. When they try to eat something bigger than them, these teeth help them capture prey. However, it can also be the cause of their death. This is because they would not be able to let go of something they already have in their mouths due to their teeth. Therefore, if it is something bigger than them, death by suffocation is the usual outcome.