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Chacoan Horned Frog (Pacman Frog) (Apricot)
Ceratophrys cranwelli "Apricot"
The charming Apricot morph. Exhibits a beautifully soft peach or apricot coloration that mellows the otherwise fierce, predatory appearance of this frog.
Class:Amphibia
Order:Anura
Family:Ceratophryidae
Subfamily:Ceratophryinae
Genus:Ceratophrys
Species:Ceratophrys cranwelli "Apricot"
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Environment
Terrestrial
Humidity
60 - 80 %
Day temperature
24 - 29 °C
Night temperature
20 - 26 °C
UVB
None - Low
Species description
Geographical Origin and Habitat: Native to the semi-arid grasslands, scrublands, and seasonal floodplains of the Gran Chaco region spanning Argentina, Bolivia, Paraguay, and Brazil. Unlike rainforest frogs, they spend dry seasons buried deep underground in a protective cocoon of dead skin to conserve moisture.
Taxonomy and Genetics: A stocky, rounded frog reaching 10–15 cm in size. The head is extremely large, making up nearly half of its body, with a wide mouth and small skin horns above the eyes. The "Apricot" morph exhibits a beautiful, warm apricot-orange or soft peach-pink color.
Behavior and Habits: Solitary, inactive ambush predator. They spend their lives buried in the substrate up to their eyes, waiting for prey to walk by. They do not hop; instead, they lunge forward to swallow prey whole. Males emit a loud, cow-like grunt when calling.
Morphology: Sexual dimorphism is pronounced: adult females are massive, circular giants, while adult males are smaller, more slender, and develop dark throats and nuptial pads during the breeding season.
Care, breeding and tankmates
Terrarium Setup: Require a terrestrial horizontal terrarium of at least 60x45x30 cm. Provide a deep, soft substrate (at least 10–15 cm) of moist coconut fiber or organic soil to allow burrowing. Avoid sharp rocks or branches. Include a very shallow water dish.
Lighting and Heating: Keep warm and moderately dry. Maintain daytime temperatures of 26–28°C with a heat spot. Avoid under-tank heating mats, which can cook the burrowing frog; use overhead heating instead. Provide a night drop to 20–22°C. Provide low-level UVB (5%) or keep shaded.
Humidity and Hydration: Maintain moderate humidity of 60–70%. Substrate should be moist like damp forest soil, but never saturated or muddy to prevent deadly bacterial infections (Red Leg syndrome). Mist daily with dechlorinated water.
Feeding and Supplementation: Voracious predators. Feed appropriate-sized live crickets, locusts, roaches, and earthworms. Avoid feeding wild prey to prevent parasites, and limit rodents to prevent obesity. Always use tongs to feed to prevent impaction and painful bites. Dust with calcium and vitamin D3.
Compatibility: Strictly solitary and highly cannibalistic. They must be housed individually at all times. They will attack and eat anything that moves, including other pacman frogs. Never mix with other species.
Health and Common Diseases: Susceptible to ammonia poisoning from their own waste; change the substrate regularly. Avoid handling with bare hands. Watch for signs of Red Leg syndrome, lethargy, or loss of appetite, and maintain strict hygiene.
Geographic Origin and Distribution
Native to the semi-arid grasslands, scrublands, and seasonal floodplains of the Gran Chaco region spanning Argentina, Bolivia, Paraguay, and Brazil. Unlike rainforest frogs, they spend dry seasons buried deep underground in a protective cocoon of dead skin to conserve moisture.
Origin
Selective breeding and cultivarsExtra-Amazon South AmericaNorth AmericaCosmopolitan or introduced
Amphibian profile
- Diet
- No verified data available
- Life expectancy
- No verified data available
- Adult size
- 15.8 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 15.8 cm. The AmphiBIO v1 source reports a maximum adult measurement of 15.8 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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