Big Gulp

Part of the Darwin exhibition.

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Ornate horned frog, Ceratophrys ornata
Clyde Peeling's Reptiland

One of the remarkable animals Darwin found and sent back to England was the ornate horned frog (Ceratophrys ornata). This pillow-shaped frog has been called a "mouth on legs." It buries itself in leaves or loose soil and lies in wait, ready to gulp down whatever walks by--even animals larger than itself. The ornate horned frog lives in eastern Brazil and Argentina; similar, related frogs live in neighboring areas.