All aboard the dad train! This male horned land frog [Sphenophryne cornuta] carries his offspring to safety in the jungles of New Guinea. Unlike most frogs, the offspring of Sphenophryne cornuta grow by direct development, hatching as tiny versions of adult frogs instead of having a tadpole stage. The male of the pair watches the eggs, and when they hatch he gathers them up on his back and takes them to a less exposed location where they can grow in safety. Image by Michael Pennay.
Most frogs have a tadpole stage that is indistinguishable from other tadpoles of different species, so its always neat when you can look at a tadpole and immediately tell which species they belong to. This specimen is a young Budgett’s frog [also known as the wide-mouth frog, Lepidobatrachus laevis] and in typical Budgett’s fashion the first thing it does when encountering something unusual [in this case its owner’s fingers] is try to eat it.
This odd little frog is a Thompson’s toothless frog [Genyophryne thomsoni], a common species endemic to Papua New Guinea. As of now it’s believed to be the only member of its genus Genyophryne, but researchers acknowledge that its population may be comprised of several different species waiting to be differentiated. It’s a forest dweller noted for its rusty coloring and flat wide head, likely meant to imitate a leaf. Image by Fieldherpforum.com user Ritt.
While many salamanders are lungless, only one known species of frog has no lungs. Meet Barbourula kalimantanensis, the Bornean Flat-headed Frog!
source What big eyes he has! This flat man is one of only two species in his genus, and the only one without lungs. His cousin, Barbourula busuangensis, has perfectly normal and functional lungs. Funnily enough, the lungless frog is in the family Bombinatoridae, the same family as fire belly toads, like my boy Sparky who we all know and love. You could say I have a frog bias.
source So how does this funky fella breathe? Entirely through his skin! These certainly aren’t friends you want to handle much, despite how cute they are. Unfortunately, the IUCN has them listed as endangered! Habitat loss thratens their population.
source He’s got it all- chubby thighs and big thighs. He’s flat because he has no lungs, and the rest of his organs are larger to take up that unused space. He is perfectly designed to live in the cold, fast flowing clearwater streams. & with a life like that, why would he ever leave the water? That’s right, he is a fully aquatic man, much like the popular african dwarf frog!
source If you’re ever in the Kalimantan part of Indonesia, keep an eye out for these pals in the remote rainforest. Don’t bother them, though, unless that’s your job. They’re doing important work (being frogs) so let them do that!
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