Species introCountry intro
Amazonian Casque-headed Frog (Hemiphractus helioi)
The Amazonian Casque-headed Frog (Hemiphractus helioi) is another of Loreto’s (Peru) unusual frogs and one I have seen a number of times. The bite from this species is actually painful and the frog holds on for long periods of time. A colleague observed a rat trying to eat one of these amazing amphibians and the frog successfully defended itself by biting the rat. This species grows to a slightly larger size than do the other species in the region – the largest individual I have seen was approximately the size of a tennis ball. Inhabiting primary forest, this species follows after all of the Casque-headed Frogs in that it loves to dine on other frogs and small vertebrates (have observed this species eating Pristimantis and Anolis). Interesting side note…this species is the only Casque-headed Frog from the region without a yellow tongue.
''Hemiphractus helioi'' is a species of frog in the Hemiphractidae family. It is found in the upper Amazon basin and lower Amazonian slopes of the Andes from Ecuador to southern Peru and into adjacent Brazil . There is also a disputed record from northern Bolivia. Prior to its formal description in 2001, it was confused with ''Hemiphractus johnsoni''. Its natural habitats are primary tropical rainforest and montane cloud forests. It is an uncommon or even rare species, but no major threats have.. more
