Zoologger is our weekly column highlighting extraordinary animals – and occasionally other organisms – from around the world
Species: Torrent frog (Hylodes japi)
Habitat: Near fast streams in the Atlantic forest of Serra do Japi in the State of São Paulo, Brazil
Stress can make it tough to get in the mood for sex, especially, if like torrent frog Hylodes japi, you live in constant fear for your life. But these frogs have found an ingenious way to procreate far away from the birds, snakes and other predators that lie in wait for a chance to devour some yummy frog meat. The male of this newly discovered species builds a secret underwater love chamber, where a pair can court, mate and lay eggs in peace and quiet.
Male torrent frogs like to hang out on the margins of fast streams, where they lure females with their serenades. If there's chemistry between them, they dive into a stream and the male takes his new partner on an underwater tour of favourite spots.
In the frog world, underwater love nests are unique to the hylodid family that includes H. japi. These frogs are shy and extremely secretive. So to catch them in action, Fábio P. de Sá from São Paulo State University in Brazil, and his team had to camouflage themselves carefully. So what did they find?
It takes an eager pair of frogs just 5 minutes to pick their ideal spot, out of several they check out. The male quickly carves out a chamber by excavating the sand around small rocks at the bottom of the stream. Then, like Christian Grey from Fifty Shades he invites his mate into his sex dungeon, which is only just big enough to fit the two amorous amphibians.
Afterwards, when the female has laid her eggs inside, they leave the chamber. The male holds onto the edges with his hands as he fights against the water flow. Then with her help he conceals the entrance with sand from the bottom of the stream, says de Sá.
"Hiding eggs inside an underwater chamber may increase protection of offspring against the strong water flow, predation, and potential cannibalism, since tadpoles are omnivorous," de Sá says.
Journal reference: Herpetologica, DOI: 10.1655/HERPETOLOGICA-D-13-00053
If you would like to reuse any content from New Scientist, either in print or online, please contact the syndication department first for permission. New Scientist does not own rights to photos, but there are a variety of licensing options available for use of articles and graphics we own the copyright to.
No comments:
Post a Comment