Argentine horned frog
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[Photo] n Argentine horned frog (Ceratophrys ornata). Date July 29, 2006. Author Flickr.com user "avmaier" http://www.flickr.com/people/kookyworld/

The Argentine Horned Frog (Ceratophrys ornata) also known as the Argentine wide-mouthed Frog is the most common species of Horned Frog, from Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil. A voracious eater, it will attempt to swallow anything that moves close to its wide mouth, such as insects, small birds, lizards, frogs and mammals. The argentine horned frogs worst enemy is its appetite, some have been discovered dead in the wild, asphyxiated by their meal.

They can grow to 15 centimeters, though the male usually is no bigger than 10 centimeters. The females can grow to 14 centimeters. The average lifespan is 6 to 7 years, however they can live up to 10 years.

Description: Horned frogs' most prominent feature is their large mouth, which accounts for roughly half of the animal's overall size. Colouration is typically bright green with red markings, though dark green, parti-colour black and albino versions also exist.

Females generally reach up to 14 cm. in length and width, and males generally get 10 cm. in length and width. Sexing this species is very difficult, and the only dimorphism between the two sexes is size and that males have dark pigmented throats.

Known in the pet industry as Pacman frogs, the Argentine variety is usually the hardiest species and is easy to care for. Because the frog is normally inactive the cage can be of about 10 gallons. Horned frogs will attack not only a mouse but an intruding finger as well. A preferred temperature for the cage is from 72 to 85 degrees Fahrenheit and are preferably kept in moist conditions.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Argentine_horned_frog

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