“During a recent trip to the Amazon rainforest in Peru, I did a number of night walks, which allowed me to observe a variety of phenomena and species I would not otherwise have been exposed to – like the Amazon Horned Frog (Ceratophrys cornuta) depicted here. Amazon Horned Frogs are found in freshwater marshes and pools throughout the Amazon Basin and, although these large amphibians can grow to 8’ (20 cm) in size, they can be hard to observe. The ground of the rainforest is cluttered with growing plants and mounds of fallen leaves. As an ambush predator, this frog hops to such a mound, shuffles its body until only its head is left showing above the leaves, and then stops moving. With its pointy eyebrows that look like the edges of curled leaves and its camouflage colors, the frog nearly disappears. Amazon Horned Frogs are indiscriminate eaters, so when anything smaller than themselves passes by, they spring from their hiding place and swallow their prey whole. If you would like to see the process I used in the creation of this acrylic painting, visit my YouTube channel (www.youtube.com/user/davidkitler) to view the time-lapse video.”