Details
Lepidobatrachus laevis
Budgett's frog is a broad-headed predator of South American Chaco wetlands. Its huge mouth, inflated body and loud defensive calls make it one of the most distinctive aquatic frogs.
Map: Ecoregions 2017 © RESOLVE (CC BY 4.0) · Natural Earth (PD)
It occurs around Paraguay, Argentina and Bolivia in seasonal wetlands, ponds and Chaco grassland. During dry periods it burrows underground and rests inside a mucus cocoon.
Adults are about 7-12 cm long. The head is flat with an enormous mouth and upward-facing eyes, while the rounded body is patterned brown to olive.
Nocturnal and aquatic, it waits from water or mud for prey. When threatened, it inflates, opens the mouth, vocalizes loudly and may bite.
Insects, crustaceans, small fish and other frogs are eaten. The mouth allows it to seize prey nearly its own size.
Breeding follows the rainy season in temporary ponds. Eggs and tadpoles develop quickly, matching habitats that may dry fast.
The species appears in the pet trade, but its wild life is tightly tied to wet-dry seasonal cycles. Conservation of temporary wetlands is important.
