genus
Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...
frog
A frog is any member of a diverse and largely semiaquatic group of short-bodied, tailless amphibian vertebrates composing the order (biology), order Anura (coming from the Ancient Greek , literally 'without tail'). Frog species with rough ski ...
s. They are commonly known as Paraguay horned frogs or Budgett's frogs (in honor of
John Samuel Budgett
John Samuel Budgett (16 June 1872 – 19 January 1904) was a British zoologist and embryologist. He spent most of his short career on the genus ''Polypterus'' (bichir). This is found in the lakes, river margins, swamps, and floodplains of tropi ...
, who described the genus), although the latter technically describes a specific species, ''
Lepidobatrachus laevis
''Lepidobatrachus laevis'', widely known as Budgett's frog, is a species of frog in the family Ceratophryidae, discovered by John Samuel Budgett. It is often kept as a pet. It has acquired a number of popular nicknames, including hippo frog, Fr ...
''.
Geographic range
''Lepidobatrachus'' are found in
South America
South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a considerably smaller portion in the Northern Hemisphere. It can also be described as the southern Subregion#Americas, subregion o ...
, in
Paraguay
Paraguay, officially the Republic of Paraguay, is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the Argentina–Paraguay border, south and southwest, Brazil to the Brazil–Paraguay border, east and northeast, and Boli ...
,
Argentina
Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...
,
Brazil
Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...
, and
Bolivia
Bolivia, officially the Plurinational State of Bolivia, is a landlocked country located in central South America. The country features diverse geography, including vast Amazonian plains, tropical lowlands, mountains, the Gran Chaco Province, w ...
.
Description
''Lepidobatrachus'' frogs are generally a light, olive
green
Green is the color between cyan and yellow on the visible spectrum. It is evoked by light which has a dominant wavelength of roughly 495570 nm. In subtractive color systems, used in painting and color printing, it is created by a com ...
in color, sometimes with lighter green or
yellow
Yellow is the color between green and orange on the spectrum of light. It is evoked by light with a dominant wavelength of roughly 575585 nm. It is a primary color in subtractive color systems, used in painting or color printing. In t ...
mottling. They have a rounded, flattened body with
eye
An eye is a sensory organ that allows an organism to perceive visual information. It detects light and converts it into electro-chemical impulses in neurons (neurones). It is part of an organism's visual system.
In higher organisms, the ey ...
s set high on their head. They have short limbs, which make them inefficient swimmers. They do not have
teeth
A tooth (: teeth) is a hard, calcified structure found in the jaws (or mouths) of many vertebrates and used to break down food. Some animals, particularly carnivores and omnivores, also use teeth to help with capturing or wounding prey, tear ...
, but they do have two sharp protrusions, common to all
Ceratophryidae
The Ceratophryidae, also known as common horned frogs, are a family of frogs found in South America. It is a relatively small family with three extant genera and 12 species. Despite the common name, not all species in the family have the horn-like ...
, inside their
mouth
A mouth also referred to as the oral is the body orifice through which many animals ingest food and animal communication#Auditory, vocalize. The body cavity immediately behind the mouth opening, known as the oral cavity (or in Latin), is also t ...
, which serve the same purpose.
Tadpole Activity
''Lepidobatrachus'' frogs are incredibly adaptive animals whose reproductive patterns are very specific to environmental conditions. They are fast, and the reproductive season starts during the rainy season since they lay their eggs in ephemeral pools, which are seasonal pools of water that help aid in forming small ecosystems. After the eggs are laid, the tadpoles then go into a speedy development because those pools are short-lived. They develop much faster. also, compared to other frog species, tadpoles resort to cannibalism and eat many of their siblings because of the competition for resources.Cei, J. M. (1968). Notes on the Tadpoles and Breeding Ecology of Lepidobatrachus (Amphibia: Ceratophryidae). Herpetologica, 24(2), 141–146. http://www.jstor.org/stable/3891302
In captivity
Budgett's frogs are very rarely found in a traditional chain pet shop. The most commonly available species is ''L. laevis''. Due to their comical appearance, they tend to make an attractive option for the intermediate to advanced
amphibian
Amphibians are ectothermic, anamniote, anamniotic, tetrapod, four-limbed vertebrate animals that constitute the class (biology), class Amphibia. In its broadest sense, it is a paraphyletic group encompassing all Tetrapod, tetrapods, but excl ...
keeper. They have an average lifespan of about 10 years.