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Argentine Horned Frog
Ceratophrys ornata
Meet the Argentine Horned Frog, a voracious ambush predator with brilliant emerald-green and red markings. Often called the Pacman frog, it needs a warm, damp terrestrial setup to sit and wait.
Class:Amphibia
Order:Anura
Family:Ceratophryidae
Subfamily:Ceratophryinae
Genus:Ceratophrys
Species:Ceratophrys ornata
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Environment
Terrestrial
Humidity
70 - 80 %
Day temperature
24 - 28 °C
Night temperature
20 - 22 °C
Ambient temperature
24 - 28 °C
Minimum enclosure
>= 40 L
UVB
None
Species description
Geographical Origin and Habitat: Distributed across Uruguay, northern Argentina, southern Brazil, and Paraguay. It inhabits wet pampas, damp grasslands, riverbanks, and temporary lagoons, spending dry seasons buried in the mud.
Taxonomy and Genetics: Family Ceratophryidae. Commonly known as the Argentine Horned Frog. It is one of the most colorful and iconic Pacman frogs, valued for its striking emerald-green and red-orange markings and bright red eyes.
Behavior and Habits: Classic sit-and-wait ambush predator. They remain buried in the soil for days, waiting for prey to pass, then strike with a powerful bite. They are aggressive and will puff up with air and hiss when threatened.
Morphology: Round and massive. Females reach 15-18 cm in width, while males are around 10 cm. They feature a bold pattern of emerald-green spots bordered in black and orange-red on a warty dorsal skin. Cranial horns are short but distinct.
Care, breeding and tankmates
Terrarium Setup: Requires a terrestrial setup (minimum 60x40x30 cm) with a deep layer (at least 15 cm) of peat moss and coco-fiber. Keep the substrate very damp. Large pieces of live sphagnum moss can be included.
Lighting and Heating: Keep warm temperatures between 26-28°C during the day. Avoid temperatures above 30°C. Do not use bottom heating mats as they burrow to thermoregulate. Use a lateral heating source and low, shaded lighting.
Humidity and Hydration: Maintain high humidity (70-80%). Provide a shallow water bowl where they can hydrate. Replace water regularly as they are sensitive to their own waste and ammonia buildup (Red Leg disease).
Feeding and Supplementation: Voracious predators. Feed crickets, roaches, earthworms, and feeder fish. Mammalian prey (mice) should be offered very rarely to prevent fatty liver disease. Supplement with calcium twice a week.
Compatibility: Strictly solitary and highly cannibalistic. They will consume any tankmates, including breeding partners of a different size. House individually.
Health and Common Diseases: High risk of impaction from swallowing loose substrate (soil, bark, moss) while hunting. Feed using plastic feeding tongs. Watch for signs of lethargy or bloating.
Geographic Origin and Distribution
Distributed across Uruguay, northern Argentina, southern Brazil, and Paraguay. It inhabits wet pampas, damp grasslands, riverbanks, and temporary lagoons, spending dry seasons buried in the mud.
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
- 11.24 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 11.24 cm. The AmphiBIO v1 source reports a maximum adult measurement of 11.24 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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