We have seen about parental care towards young ones in earlier blog posts. Now a frog shows it here. It is the Marsupial Frog (Gastrotheca riobambae, Andean Marsupial Treefrog). Both the male and female frogs take much care both in fertilization and bringing up the young ones. Unlike other frogs, this female marsupial frog has a brood pouch on its back.
During courtship the male frog calls. As the female arrives, the male hops on its back, collects the ova released from the cloaca of the female with its hind feet, fertilizes them with its spermatic fluid and pushes them into the brood pouch of the female. In this pouch about 160 eggs develop getting nutrition through the vascular tissue of their mother. In about sixty days they hatch out, and are released out from the pouch as tadpoles into the pond water.
This frog lives in Central America and South America. It is seen in abundance on the slopes of Andes Mountains. Its habitats are tropical forests, marsh lands and grass lands.
It is a wonder frog showing parental care as seen in human beings - development of foetus in mother's womb and the infant care towards the kids!
Related articles in this blog:
Infant Care in Wolf Spiders!
Extraordinary animal, the Seahorse!
The inspiring Joey of Kangaroo!
1 comment:
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