This male frog nurtures his tadpole young in his vocal sacs, then spits them out when they’re fully developed.
Named the Darwin’s frog, this small creature is a truly fascinating amphibian. Following mating, females will lay up to 7 eggs, which the male will guard for three to four weeks. Once the embryos begin to move, he ingests and holds them in his oversized vocal sac. The eggs hatch approximately 3 days later and remain in his vocal sac as they feed off their egg yolks. Once his young are full-fledged frogs, he spits them out and sends them on their way.
Adding to their odd qualities are their triangular head and pointy snout.
Their brown, warty underside serves as camouflage; When threatened, the frogs will roll over and play dead, blending in with senescing leaves on the forest floor.
The Darwin’s frog was first discovered by Charles Darwin during his 1831 world voyage on the HMS Beagle.
Endemic to Chile and Argentina, these unique frogs are listed as Vulnerable by IUCN. They thrive in forest streams, and have been steadily losing their habitat due to the conversion of native forests to tree plantations.
Watch their fascinating development process here:
