Pacman Frog

Looks how to spot one

Round, wide-bodied ground frog

Almost as wide as it is long, with an enormous mouth, small horn-like points above the eyes and short, unwebbed back legs. Females (up to about 16.5 cm snout to vent) are noticeably bigger than males (about 11.5 cm). Mature males have darker throats.12

Personality what they are like

A patient ambush hunter that sits still, often half-buried, and lunges at anything that moves in front of its mouth. It is a frog to watch rather than handle, as it may grab at fingers and can give a painful bite.12

Daily activity how busy a day looks

Low. It spends most of its time sitting quietly, either dug into soft substrate or soaking in water, and moves mainly to catch food.2

Grooming and care the hands-on bits

Keep handling to a minimum and provide a soft, diggable substrate plus a water dish shallow enough for it to sit in, since it is a poor swimmer.21

Home where they are happiest

A floor-focused terrarium: Wikipedia suggests a floor area about 8-10 times the frog's own footprint. Include soft substrate deep enough to burrow into and a shallow water area.2

Food basics what goes in the bowl

Carnivorous. In the wild it eats insects, spiders, other frogs, small reptiles and small mammals and birds. In captivity, young frogs are typically fed crickets and adults earthworms, with occasional fish for variety.12

Company who they like around

Keep singly. Horned frogs will try to eat tankmates, including their own kind.21

The story where it all began

A native of the South American pampas, this frog became a popular exotic pet, and its round body and huge mouth earned it the nickname 'pacman frog' after the arcade game character. Captive breeding has produced several colour forms, including albinos, and related horned frog species are crossed to make hybrids such as the 'fantasy frog'.12