Meet the incredible Amazonian Horned Frog, one of the most amusing amphibians on the planet. Found across the northern half of the South American continent, they’re known for their prominent horns, impressive leaf-mimicry, and just generally ridiculous appearance. One of the employees at Los Amigos Biological Station informed me that they are also called Pacman Frogs because they are, and I quote, “all mouth”. No disagreements there.
The purpose of trademark horns is still unknown, but it’s theorised that they’ve evolved in order to mimic the stems of leaves, aiding with the frog’s camouflage. Either that or it’s a sex thing. Weird, unexplainable stuff on animals is almost always a sex thing.
These frogs are also one of the largest in the world, growing to up to 20cm in width, and their similarities with Pacman don’t stop at their appearance. The reason these frogs get so big is because they’re ambush predators that are willing to eat just about anything.
Amazonian Horned Frogs will partially bury themselves in the leaf-litter, typically with incredible camouflage (I would never have noticed this frog if it hadn’t been for its eyeshine reflecting back from my headtorch). Once hidden, they patiently wait for prey to wander past, at which point they lunge forward, trap their unsuspecting meal with their sharp teeth (yep, you read that right – teeth), and then they swallow the victim whole.
Their hunting strategy can be described as “Does it fit in my mouth?” – if the answer is yes or a solid maybe, the Amazonian Horned Frog will give it a crack. Lizards, mice, even other frogs – they don’t discriminate. These frogs have actually been found dead in the wild after trying to ingest animals that were too big to handle, with the equally dead prey hanging out of the frog’s mouth.
Everything about these frogs is utterly fantastical, and they are a pleasure to stumble across in the wild – unless you happen to fit in their mouth.
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Amazonian Horned Frog (Ceratophrys cornuta), Los Amigos Biological Station, Madre de Dios, Peru