Reproduction is a necessary phase in all frog species to ensure their continued existence. However, you may wonder how exactly frogs give birth. Do they lay eggs or do they give birth to live young?
How do frog give birth? Frogs generally lay eggs that are externally or internally fertilized by males, depending on the species. Once fertilized, the eggs hatch into tadpoles that undergo metamorphosis to become adult frogs. Only one species, the fanged frog, gives birth to live young ones!
This article discusses more about how frogs give birth. We have also touched on important parts such as frog species that give birth to live young, which frogs give birth through the mouth, whether frogs die after giving birth, and so on.
How do frog give birth?
Frogs generally do not give birth to live young as the mammals do.犀利士 Instead, they lay eggs that are externally or internally fertilized by males.
Most species of frogs practice external fertilization, where the females release their eggs and the males release their sperm on them at around the same time. This happens when the male is in amplexus mating position—this involves grabbing the female from behind with its arms.
However, there’s a handful of frog species that use internal fertilization. In such a case, the male deposits his sperm into the female to fertilize her eggs internally before the female lays them.
A perfect example is the tailed frog, which has developed a penis-like feature that deposits eggs into the female’s cloaca. The female then proceeds to lay fertilized eggs in suitable places like under rocks in streams and leave them to develop on their own.
Female frogs typically produce multiple eggs every year; they can range from tens to thousands, depending on the species. They then retain these eggs internally. When the mating time comes, they release the eggs and the males fertilize them.
However, if the females do not mate with a male, their eggs will simply die inside their bodies.
Once a female lays the eggs, they’re left on their own to hatch into tadpoles and develop into adult frogs.
The only frog that gives birth to live tadpoles:
One particular species of frog has astonished the whole world with its ability to give birth to live young!
This is none other than the fanged frog (Limnonectes larvaepartus). Native to Indonesia’s Sulawesi Island, this frog completely changes the way science thinks about frogs in general.
Zoologists had been chasing this frog for decades, as they believed it would exhibit unique behavior.
However, it wasn’t until Jim MacGuire, from the University of California, Barkley caught one red-handed giving birth to live young ones. He thought he was holding a male frog, only to witness the frog giving birth out of its back!
Do frogs give birth or lay eggs?
As we’ve just stated above, most frogs lay eggs but don’t give birth. The eggs usually undergo external fertilization where the female releases the eggs as the male fertilizes them simultaneously.
This process lasts for up to 24+ hours, depending on the species. The eggs come out covered in a jelly-like substance to help keep them moist and ensure they do not dry out.
The eggs are also usually laid in waterbodies or moist areas where they stay in contact with moisture to prevent them from drying out and dying. They eventually hatch into tadpoles which survive in the waters until they become adult frogs.
The only exception is the fanged frog that we have just discussed in the previous section. This frog undergoes internal fertilization. The eggs then develop inside their body until they become tadpoles and the female gives birth to the live tadpoles.
They prefer giving birth to them near small ponds, away from streams, probably to keep them safe from the bigger fanged frogs. Some evidence also suggests that the males tend to guard the tadpoles after they’re born. (Source).
Do frogs give birth from their mouth?
No, frogs do not give birth from their mouths. The female simply lay the eggs and the male fertilizes them. They lay the eggs in water or moist areas on land, depending on the species. The eggs are then left to develop on their owner.
However, the only known case of frogs “giving birth from their mouth” is Darwin’s frogs. However, this isn’t really giving birth by mouth.
What actually happens is that after fertilizing the eggs, the male Darwin’s frog swallows them and puts them in its vocal sac where they safely develop and hatch into tadpoles.
When they are ready to survive on their own, the male vomits them out of its mouth.
As you can see, this isn’t really giving birth by mouth as the female first lays the eggs externally. It is more like the males protecting the eggs until they hatch into young ones.
Another frog that exhibits similar behavior is the Gastric-brooding frog, which inhabited a small portion of Queensland Australia. Unfortunately, this frog became extinct in the 1980s.
In this frog’s case, the female would swallow the eggs after she has laid them and the male has fertilized them.
The eggs will be deposited in her stomach where they are coated with a substance known as prostaglandin. This caused the stomach to stop producing gastric acid, ensuring the eggs stay safe inside the stomach.
The eggs reside in the mother’s stomach until they hatch, at which point the babies will then crawl out of the frog through its mouth.
A single frog could “give birth” to as many as 25 frogs! However, this is still not really giving birth as the females first laid the eggs for external fertilization by males.
Do any frogs give birth to live young?
Frogs typically do not give birth to live young. Instead, they lay eggs, which are fertilized externally by males. The eggs then develop into tadpoles that metamorphose to become adult frogs.
However, there is ONLY one frog known to science that gives birth to live young—the fanged frog! We discussed in-depth details about this frog earlier, so we won’t go into the details again.
Other frogs that are believed to give birth to young ones include the Darwin’s frogs. However, as we have discussed above, they do not actually give birth.
They only swallow the eggs and put them somewhere safe where they develop until they are ready to survive on their own and they vomit them out.
Can frogs give birth without a mate?
Frogs cannot give birth without a mate. Giving birth in this case refers to laying eggs, which only occurs after the female mates with a male frog during the mating season.
During the mating process, males get behind the females in the amplexus position and spray their sperm on the female eggs as she releases them, thus making them fertilized.
If a female does not mate with a male frog, then no fertilization occurs and the female won’t give birth to offspring.
Eggs are already developed in a mature female frog’s body, only waiting for the mating season to arrive. If no mating occurs, the eggs die inside her body, so she won’t lay them.
FAQs:
Frogs do not die after giving birth. Frogs don’t give birth as the mammals do. Instead, they lay multiple eggs near waterbodies or on land, depending on the species. In nearly all the species, the parents leave the eggs to develop on their own. No species of frogs have been shown to die after laying eggs so far.
Darwin’s frog “gives birth” through its mouth. The male swallows the eggs after fertilization and places them in its vocal sac. Here, they stay until they develop into tadpoles and then into froglets that can survive on their own. He then expels the mini frogs from its mouth.
Frogs do not give birth to live young. Rather, they lay eggs that hatch into young ones. The number of eggs a frog lays can vary from tens to thousands depending on the species.
Conclusion
Frogs do not give birth as mammals do. Instead, they lay eggs that are then fertilized by males for them to develop into young ones. The only exception is the fanged frog which undergoes internal fertilization and gives birth to live tadpoles. Frogs also don’t take care of their offspring. They deposit the eggs in water or on land and leave them to develop on their own.
Frogs that are said to give birth through their mouth do not essentially give birth as they only swallow the eggs after external fertilization. They do so to provide the eggs with a safe haven where they can develop safely until they hatch into froglets. They then expel them to continue developing on their own.
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