Pacman frog

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article does not cite any references or sources. (November 2007)
Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed.

It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Ceratophrys. (Discuss)

Ceratophrys

Ceratophrys cranwelli

Scientific classification

Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Amphibia
Order:	Anura
Suborder:	Neobatrachia
Family:	Leptodactylidae
Subfamily:	Ceratophryinae
Genus:	Ceratophrys

Cranwell's horned frog (Ceratophrys cranwelli) is an example of a Pacman frog.

A Pacman frog is any member of the subfamily Ceratophryinae with a characteristically large mouth and abdomen, thus resembling the video game character Pac-Man. Pacman frogs are considered Horned Frogs and the majority are endemic to South America. The prototypical example of a Pacman frog is the Argentine horned frog.

1 Gender differentiation
2 Care in captivity
3 Lifespan
4 Diet
5 Pacman frog species
6 External links
7 Gallery

[edit] Gender differentiation

A female "Pacman frog" will not "chirp", or "croak", whereas a male specimen of the same species will. Males frequently have spotted chests. Males will also sometimes have pads on their front legs during mating season(these are very hard to see though).

[edit] Care in captivity

In captivity, these frogs can live in a 10 gallon aquarium for their entire lives. They should be given shallow water, loose substrate (like coconut husk fiber), and hiding places. They will commonly cover themselves with substrate or just sit contententedly in the water. Pacmans should be misted daily to ensure proper humidity. Temperatures should be maintained between 75° and 80° Fahrenheit (24° to 27° Celsius) during the day, dropping a few degrees at night. They can be fed crickets, earthworms, silkworms, phoenix worms, butterworms, and occasional guppies, mice, and waxworms. Mealworms and superworms should not be fed to them, due to their hard chitinous shell.

[edit] Lifespan

The average lifespan of a Pacman frog is about 6 years, but they have been known to live up to 14 years in captivity.

[edit] Diet

They are voracious eaters, often eating insects, small mammals (such as mice), fish, other frogs, and small reptiles. A fully grown female Argentine Horned Frog (females are generally larger than males) can easily eat a grown rat.

Although these frogs can swallow animals almost half their size, they sometimes attempt to eat things larger than they are. A row of sharp teeth in their upper jaw makes it nearly impossible for them to release prey after taking it in their mouth, in some cases leading to death by choking.

[edit] Pacman frog species

Argentine horned frog (Ceratophrys ornata)
Cranwell's horned frog (Ceratophrys cranwelli)

[edit] External links

[edit] Gallery

This section seems to be an image gallery.
Wikipedia is not a collection of images. Please help by moving freely licensed images to Wikimedia Commons, possibly creating a gallery of the same name if one does not already exist. See Wikipedia's guide to writing better articles for further suggestions.