Reproduction

How does the paradoxical frog produce its young?

Mating tends to occur following heavy rainfall. Males will gather at a body of water and call to attract females.

Females will deposit their eggs in to floating foam nests before the males fertilizes them. The eggs are colored green.

The name of these frogs is taken from the tadpoles being much larger than the adults. They will reduce their size when they metamorphose.

Young will reach up to 25cm (10in) long before undergoing the metamorphosis. Much of this size comes from the tail which is reabsorbed as they become an adult. Tadpoles may not reach these large sizes if they are raised in temporary watercourses.

Behavior

What does the paradoxical frog do with its day?

These birds are well adapted to a life in water with webbed toes to help push them through the water.

During the dry season these animals will dig in to the soil and enter a period of inactivity known as aestivation. Their toes are strong to help them push in to the mud.

Males vocalize at the surface of the water while hiding among vegetation.

These animals are nocturnal.

Credit: Mauricio Rivera Correa, CC BY-SA 2.5 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5>, via Wikimedia Commons

Predators and Threats

What is impacting the survival of the paradoxical frog?

The population of the paradoxical frog is considered stable and the species is relatively common across its range.

In some localized populations they are affected by habitat loss from expanding farming operations and human settlement.

Small numbers are collected to supply the international pet trade.

Quick facts

They may also be known as the shrinking frog or the swimming frog.

Their name is taken from the strange development of the young. They shrink as they grow instead of becoming larger.