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Brazilian Horned Frog
Ceratophrys aurita
The leviathan of the family. The largest horned frog species on Earth, capable of reaching massive sizes. Extremely rare in captivity and highly sought after.
Class:Amphibia
Order:Anura
Family:Ceratophryidae
Subfamily:Ceratophryinae
Genus:Ceratophrys
Species:Ceratophrys aurita
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Environment
Terrestrial
Humidity
75 - 85 %
Day temperature
25 - 28 °C
Night temperature
22 - 24 °C
Ambient temperature
25 - 28 °C
Minimum enclosure
>= 45 L
UVB
Low
Species description
Geographical Origin and Habitat: Endemic to the lush, wet coastal rainforests (Mata Atlântica) of southeastern Brazil. A large terrestrial, fossorial frog that spends its life buried in deep leaf litter and moist soils on the dark forest floor.
Taxonomy and Genetics: The largest of all Ceratophrys species, reaching 15–20 cm in adult size. It features a massive head, an enormous mouth, and prominent cutaneous horns above the eyes. Dorsal color ranges from emerald green to olive and brown with dark spots.
Behavior and Habits: Solitary, ambush predator. It remains buried in leaf litter, leaving only its eyes and horns exposed to surprise prey. It does not hop; instead, it lunges forward to swallow prey whole. Males produce a loud, cow-like bellow at night.
Morphology: Sexual dimorphism is highly pronounced: adult females are massive, circular giants, while adult males are smaller, more slender, and possess dark throat coloration and nuptial pads during the breeding season.
Care, breeding and tankmates
Terrarium Setup: Require a spacious terrestrial terrarium of at least 80x45x45 cm. Provide a deep substrate (at least 15 cm) of moist organic peat moss or coconut fiber, covered with a thick layer of dry oak or catappa leaf litter for burrowing. Include a very shallow, large water dish.
Lighting and Heating: Require warm, tropical conditions. Maintain daytime temperatures of 25–28°C with a basking spot. Avoid under-tank heating mats as they can burn the frog when it digs. Provide a night drop to 22–24°C. Low-level UVB (5%) is recommended.
Humidity and Hydration: Maintain high relative humidity of 75–85% via daily misting. Efficient ventilation is critical to prevent stagnant conditions, which can lead to bacterial skin infections (Red Leg syndrome). Use dechlorinated water.
Feeding and Supplementation: Voracious carnivorous predators. Offer live locusts, large roaches, earthworms, and occasional rodents (pinkies or fuzzy mice). Always use long tongs to feed them, as their bite is strong and painful. Dust prey with calcium and vitamin D3 supplements regularly.
Compatibility: Strictly cannibalistic. Must be housed individually at all times. They will attempt to consume anything that moves, including tankmates of their own size. Never house them with other species.
Health and Common Diseases: Highly sensitive to ammonia toxicity from their own waste; change the substrate frequently. Do not handle them with bare hands as skin residues can harm them. Watch for Red Leg syndrome and treat immediately with clean water and veterinary care.
Geographic Origin and Distribution
Endemic to the lush, wet coastal rainforests (Mata Atlântica) of southeastern Brazil. A large terrestrial, fossorial frog that spends its life buried in deep leaf litter and moist soils on the dark forest floor.
Origin
Tropical oceans and reefsExtra-Amazon South AmericaEurope, Mediterranean, and West Asia
Amphibian profile
- Diet
- No verified data available
- Life expectancy
- No verified data available
- Adult size
- 14.9 cm
- Lifestyle/Microhabitat
- No verified data available
- Activity cycle
- No verified data available
- Sociality
- No verified data available
- Reproduction
- No verified data available
- Toxicity
- No verified data available
- Life stage
- No verified data available
- Handling tolerance
- No verified data available
- Brumation
- No verified data available
- Molting
- No verified data available
The catalog's scalar value is 14.9 cm. The AmphiBIO v1 source reports a maximum adult measurement of 14.9 cm for this species, recorded as snout–vent length (SVL). These figures are not interchangeable: the first is the profile's editorial reference, whereas the second is a published maximum under a specific measurement convention; differences among sources can reflect sex, population, life stage and measuring method.
Image gallery
Licensed images linked to the species or, when marked, to the closest representative taxon.
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