You have heard of the virgin birth, but have you heard of the mouth birth? 😄
Allow me to elaborate.
So, there is... Nevermind. There *was" this genus of frogs scientifically described as Rheobatrachus.
The genus had two species:
- Rheobatrachus silus
- Rheobatrachus vitellinus
Unfortunately, both are extinct today, possibly due to human introduction of pathogenic fungi into their native range.
Rip.
Both species were native to Australia and were commonly known as gastric-brooding frogs or platypus frogs.
Now, what made both species super unique is their reproduction method. Much like other frogs, the eggs were fertilized by the male outside the female body.
But right after the fertilization, the female would swallow the eggs and let them hatch in the stomach. The young tadpoles continued living and developing there long after hatching!
Eventually, after a period of over six weeks she would gradually regurgitate over the span of a week or so.
The whole thing is way more complex than it sounds and evolution had to tackle multiple problems, with the first one being...gastric acids! Wikipedia has some great info if you would like to read more on the subject.
As I said, both species are both extinct there's some hope it might live again!
Scientists at the University of Newcastle and University of New South Wales have successfully cloned embryos and maybe one day they will the project produce a living frog. Time will tell!
Ok frens, this is it for today!
As always, see you soon with more bizarre wonders from mother nature!
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