Suriname Horned Frog!

Here is another great example of nature at its best: the Suriname Horned frog well-camouflaged between the dry leaves. 

As seen in the pictures, the Suriname Horned Frog (Ceratophrys cornuta) is a unique one of a kind of frog. Eye catching detail is of course the short fleshy upward projecting horn right above its eyes. This gives it a horn-kind-of-look too. 

Second to notice is its huge head, which takes at least half the size of its body. 

On different kind of hiking trails in Kabalebo I have seen these weird looking frogs. Usually the juvenile ones are easily spotted as the adults are masters in disguise. 
I was able to notice them as they jumped away from the trail, given away their hiding spot. As they have such camouflaged colors, brown or leaf green, and like to stay still in leaf litters for quite some time, they are seldom seen. But this does not mean that they are rare or uncommon. Only secretive frogs!

The largest Horned frog I have seen so far was about 8 cm long. 

They have strong jaws making it difficult for their prey to easily escape from their grasp. The Suriname Horned frog is known to -wait and ambush- its prey. These are usually large insects, small lizards/anoles and small frogs. One time during rainy season I have seen how one adult devoured 2 juvenile giant toads (Rhinella Marina). 

They are solitary frogs often seen between leaf litters. Their habitat is found in the Amazon basin, Venezuela and the Guyana's. 

It is known that they are ferocious biters. I surely wouldn't dare to find this out myself. 

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