Sheep Frog
Hypopachus variolosus
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Cordats)
- ClassAmphibia (Amfibis)
- OrderAnura (Anurs)
- FamilyMicrohylidae (Narrow-mouthed Frogs)
- GenusHypopachus (Sheep Frogs)
- SpeciesHypopachus variolosus (Sheep Frog)
The northern sheep frog (Hypopachus variolosus) is native to Central America, Mexico, and extreme south Texas, United States. It occurs in the lowlands from Sonora, Mexico, to northern Costa Rica on the Pacific coast, and south Texas to Honduras on the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean coasts. The sheep frog inhabits semiarid thornscrub, savannas, pasturelands, and open woodlands, as well as more humid, moist forest in the canyons, basins, foothills, and lower elevations of mountains slopes. It is a fossorial, burrowing frog that is seldom seen on the surface except at night after heavy rains when they emerge to breed. The sheep frog gets its name from its distinctive call that resembles a sheep's bleat. It is a diet specialist primarily feeding on termites and ants. Wikipedia →
Closest Relatives at Braulio Carrillo National Park
Southern Narrow-mouthed Toad
Hypopachus pictiventris
Strawberry Poison-dart Frog
Oophaga pumilio
Green and Black Dart-poison Frog
Dendrobates auratus
Red-eyed Treefrog
Agalychnis callidryas
Leaf Litter Toad
Rhaebo haematiticus
Savage's Thin-toed Frog
Leptodactylus savagei
Atlantic Broad-headed Litter Frog
Craugastor megacephalus
Warszewitsch's Frog
Lithobates warszewitschii
Red-webbed Tree Frog
Boana rufitela
Masked Tree Frog
Smilisca phaeota
Fitzinger's Robber Frog
Craugastor fitzingeri
Giant Marine Toad
Rhinella horribilis
📅 Monthly Probability
Fewer than 5 records of Sheep Frog at Braulio Carrillo National Park — not enough to chart months honestly.
🌙 When They're Spotted
Most active during nighttime hours (6pm–6am) · across all parks (global)
Global Distribution
Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.
where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is) · parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there
Parks Where Found
| # | Park | Country | Probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Santa Rosa National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 2 | Palo Verde National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 3 | Calakmul Biosphere Reserve | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 4 | Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 5 | Celaque National Park | 🇭🇳 Honduras | |
| 6 | Biotopo Cerro Cahuí | 🇬🇹 Guatemala | |
| 7 | Ostional Wildlife Refuge | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 8 | Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary | 🇧🇿 Belize | |
| 9 | Arrecifes de Cozumel National Park | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 10 | Celestún Biosphere Reserve | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 11 | Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 12 | Las Baulas Marine National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 13 | Cabo Blanco Absolute Nature Reserve | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 14 | Braulio Carrillo National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 15 | Carara National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 16 | Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 17 | Cumbres de Monterrey National Park | 🇲🇽 Mexico |