Argentinean Horned Frog

• It takes insects, rodents, lizards and other frogs from ambush with its enormous mouth.
• It lives in damp grassland of Argentina, Uruguay and southern Brazil.
• It is so voracious that it will try to swallow practically anything that moves near its mouth, objects far too large included.
• It is almost all mouth: its head takes up around half the body, hence the nickname of Pacman frog.
• It hunts from ambush, half buried, and strikes at any animal that fits in its mouth: insects, other frogs, small lizards, mice and young birds.
• Its bite is extraordinarily strong for its size: a force of around 30 newtons has been measured in mid-sized specimens, and estimates for the largest reach 500.
• It has odontoids, bony projections on the lower jaw that work like fangs and let it hold on to large prey.
• During the dry season it buries itself and forms a cocoon of layers of dead skin that reduces water loss, and in this way it can spend months dormant.
• It is listed as Near Threatened owing to the conversion of the Pampas to farmland and to its capture for the pet trade.

Skeleton type

Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (amphibian)

Habitat & environment

Damp grassland of Argentina, Uruguay and southern Brazil

Birth weight

A tiny tadpole on hatching

Size at birth

Tiny at hatching

Sexual maturity

18-24 months

Litter / clutch size

1,000 to 2,000 eggs per clutch, in several groups

Lifespan in captivity

Documented record of up to 10-16 years in captivity

Sources consulted: Animalia.bio; A-Z Animals; Ambassador Animal Resource Center; Reptiles Magazine; SeaWorld/Busch Gardens; Wikipedia (Argentine horned frog); Spiderzoon; Wikipedia (Cranwell's horned frog)