''Ceratophrys'' is a genus of

frog A frog is any member of a diverse and largely carnivorous group of short-bodied, tailless amphibians composing the order Anura (ανοὐρά, literally ''without tail'' in Ancient Greek). The oldest fossil "proto-frog" ''Triadobatrachus'' is ...

s in the family

Ceratophryidae The Ceratophryidae, also known as common horned frogs, are a family of frogs found in South America. It is a relatively small family with three extant genera and 12 species. Despite the common name, not all species in the family have the horn-lik ...

. 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 Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This fee ...

character Pac-Man.

Species

There are eight species:

Sex differentiation

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.

Care in captivity

In captivity, ''C. cranwelli'', ''C. ornata'' and ''C. cornuta'' are the most popular species, 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 thrive best with a shallow bowl of water, loose moist substrate (like coco coir), and hiding places. They will commonly cover themselves with substrate or just sit contentedly in the water. These frogs should be misted daily to ensure proper humidity. Temperatures should be maintained between 75° and 80° Fahrenheit (24° to 27° Celsius) during the day, dropping a few degrees at night. They can be fed

cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by str ...

s, earthworms,

silkworms The domestic silk moth (''Bombyx mori''), is an insect from the moth family Bombycidae. It is the closest relative of ''Bombyx mandarina'', the wild silk moth. The silkworm is the larva or caterpillar of a silk moth. It is an economically im ...

, phoenix worms, butterworms, and occasionally

guppies The guppy (), also known as millionfish and rainbow fish, is one of the world's most widely distributed tropical fish and one of the most popular freshwater aquarium fish species. It is a member of the family Poeciliidae and, like almost all ...

, mice, and waxworms. Mealworms and superworms should not be fed to them, due to their hard chitinous shell.

Lifespan

The average lifespan of a ''Ceratophrys'' frog in the wild varies between 1 and 4 years, though in captivity and as pets, depending on diet and care, they may live 6 to 10 years and even longer.

Diet

They are voracious eaters, often eating

insect Insects (from Latin ') are pancrustacean hexapod invertebrates of the class Insecta. They are the largest group within the arthropod phylum. Insects have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body ( head, thorax and abdomen), three ...

s, small mammals (such as mice),

fish Fish are aquatic, craniate, gill-bearing animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish as well as various extinct related groups. Approximately 95% of ...

, other

s, and small reptiles. A fully grown female Argentine Horned Frog (females are generally larger than males) can easily eat a grown rat. These frogs are also known to be cannibalistic, and have been known to eat their mates, even if they are larger than they are. It is advisable to isolate multiple frogs. 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. Large individuals have bite forces comparable to those of mammalian predators.

Gallery

File:Argentine horned frog (Ceratophrys ornata).jpg, File:Chet Pac Man toad.jpg, File:Ceratophrys ornata (Pacman Frog).JPG, File:Cornuta side view web.jpg, File:Ceratophrys cornuta skeleton front.jpg,

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1421385 Ceratophryidae Amphibians of South America