AMPHIBIAWEB
Ceratophrys ornata
Bell's Horned Frog
family: Ceratophryidae
subfamily: Ceratophryinae

© 2003 Alexander Haas (1 of 5)

View distribution map using BerkeleyMapper.


Conservation Status (definitions)
IUCN (Red List) Status Near Threatened (NT)
See threat category on Global Amphibian Assessment web site.
CITES No CITES Listing
Other International Status None
National Status None
Regional Status None

Description
In a captive group of frogs, the average lengths of the females was 91.8 mm and that of the males was 88.5 mm. Adults have a green dorsum, with paired, fairly large black spots.

Distribution and Habitat

Country distribution from AmphibiaWeb's database: Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay

View distribution map using BerkeleyMapper.
C. ornata is found in Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay, and southern Brazil.

Life History, Abundance, Activity, and Special Behaviors
This frog is a "sit and wait" predator. It remains motionless most of the time. When prey walk nearby, the animal quickly attacks usually swalling the prey whole.

Relation to Humans
This species is popular as a pet. While the official vernacular name is Bell's Horned frog, many people refer to them as the "pac man" frog since the body plan appears to be mostly dominated by the mouth that has a large gape.

References
 

Hornegger, R. E., Schneider, C., and Zimmerman, E. (1985). ''Notizen zur Aufzucht von Schmuckhornfroeschen.'' Salamandra, 21(1), 70-80.



Written by Fran Sandmeier (franturtle AT yahoo.com), UC Berkeley. 2001-03-12
Edited by Vance Vredenburg (2002-01-14)



Citation:
AmphibiaWeb: Information on amphibian biology and conservation. [web application]. 2010. Berkeley, California: AmphibiaWeb. Available: http://amphibiaweb.org/. (Accessed: Feb 8, 2010).

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