Ceratophrys cornuta
The Surinam Horned Frog (Ceratophrys cornuta), also referred as the Amazonian Horned Frog, was last assessed for the IUCN Red List in 2021 and was assigned a rating of Least Concern. It has a stable and healthy population. It has a large distribution in the northern half of South America in the Amazonian Basin of Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela between 0m and 400m above sea level. [1]
A terrestrial frog it occupies open environments and leaf litter in subtropical and tropical lowland forests as well as wetlands that all have ephemeral and permanent freshwater pools.[1]
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Appearance[edit | edit source]
Originally thought to be Ceratophrys ornata it was subsequently reclassified as it inhabits a different habitat and refuses to interbreed with C. ornata in the wild, but will do so in captivity.
C. cornuta grows to an average of 4-6in and can weigh up to 1lb. There are reports of specimens growing to 8in in length.
This species experiences sexual dimorphism and as a result the females are larger and the males are brighter, ranging from dark green to lime colored whereas the females ten to be tan. The colors are suspected to aid in camouflage.
The common consensus is that the eye horns are part of their camouflage, however this has not been confirmed by scientific research.[2]
Males have nuptial pads.[3]
Behavior[edit | edit source]
Due to high heat Ceratophrys cornuta are nocturnal as a result as the species are apprehensive to excessive heat. They are very territorial as adults and lash out violently.
Diet[edit | edit source]
The Surinam Horned Frog is carnivorous. It hides among leaf litter or substrate to where only its head is visible so that it can ambush prey items. They will eat frogs, fish, lizards, and mice. It will consume other species of horned frogs, including the northern variant of C. ornata. When anything that it can swallow happens by it will ensnare the prey and swallow it whole. Using its strong bite it will hold on to the prey with its teeth.
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This at times can result in the frog perishing as it refuses to release prey even if it is too large to swallow.[1][2][3][4][5]
Reproduction[edit | edit source]
Breeding only occurs in pools within continuous forests. Frogs will achieve sexual maturity around 3 to 4 years. Females will lay as many as 1,000 eggs thought it is usually between 300 and 600. The males will transfer the eggs to the female's back. She will find a suitable place to deposit the eggs and will wrap the eggs around aquatic plants. After this point there will be no more parental involvement. The eggs and subsequent young will have to fend for themselves. Eggs will hatch between 3 and 25 days. Tadpoles are carnivorous and cannibalistic and will finish metamorphose in approximately 90 days and will reach a length of 0.39in to 0.51in. There is a high mortality rate and only few offspring survive.[3]
Calls[edit | edit source]
Males will bleat when attracting females for mating and also communicate during the act of mating.
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Threats[edit | edit source]
- Agriculture
- Farming
- Ranching
- Hunting
- Logging
- Invasive species
- Disease
These threats are impacting subpopulations more so than the population at large.
There is a recorded incidence of a collection of C. cornuta developing chytridiomycosis, in Tokyo Japan, in which a specimen died within a few days of presenting symptoms of the disease.[6]
Captivity[edit | edit source]
There are reports of this species in the international pet trade, but at a much smaller scale than its counterpart Ceratophrys cranwelli. They are especially popular as pets for herpetologists.[3][7] Due to the intense bite force and presence of teeth they need to be handled extremely careful to avoid injury. In captivity frogs can be expected to reach an age of 10 years with proper husbandry and care with some achieving 15 years of age.
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Surinam Horned Frog (Ceratophrys cornuta), IUCN Red List - https://iucnredlist.org/fr/species/56337/85857103
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Surinam Horned Frog https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/amphibians/facts/surinam-horned-frog#:~:text=These%20rotund%20amphibians%20can%20grow,Basin%2C%20from%20Colombia%20to%20Brazil.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 "Ceratophrys cornuta". Animal Diversity Web. - https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Ceratophrys_cornuta/
- ↑ Rodríguez, L.O. and Duellman, W.E. 1994. Guide to the frogs of the Iquitos region, Amazonian Peru. Asocacion de Ecologia y Conservacion, Amazon Center for Environmental Education and Research and Natural History Museum, The University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas.
- ↑ Neckel-Oliveira, S. 2007. Effects of forest disturbance on breeding habitat availability for two species of anurans in the Amazon. Copeia: 186-192.
- ↑ Une, Y., Kadekaru, S., Tamukai, K., Goka, K. and Kuroki, T. 2008. First report of spontaneous chytridiomycosis in frogs in Asia. Diseases of Aquatic Organisms 82(2): 157-160.
- ↑ Rowley, J.J., Chan, S.K.F., Tang, W.S., Speare, R., Skerratt, L.F., Alford, R.A., Cheung, K.S., Ho, C.Y. and Campbell, R. 2007. Survey for the amphibian chytrid Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis in Hong Kong in native amphibians and in the international amphibian trade. Diseases of Aquatic Organisms 78: 87-95.