Jump to content

Hydric brooding

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Hydric brooding is an egg incubation practice performed by some species of frogs. It involves either placing urine from the bladder on the eggs to keep them wet or holding the body over the eggs to prevent them from drying out.[1][2][3][4]

Unlike reptile and bird eggs, which have an amniotic membrane to prevent dehydration, amphibian eggs laid on land can become dry and die. In some species, the male frog will periodically return to the clutch and moisten the eggs with urine from his bladder. For example, the male poison arrow frog Phyllobates vittatus sits on top of his eggs and sheds liquid. He visits the clutch roughly three times each day until hatching.[2]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Gregorio Moreno-Rueda; Mar Comas, eds. (2023). Evolutionary Ecology of Amphibians (Preview). CRC Press. ISBN 9781000909241. Retrieved July 8, 2024.
  2. ^ a b Kip Green; Kellie Whittaker (February 11, 2005). Kellie Whittaker (ed.). "Phyllobates vittatus (Cope, 1893)". AmphibiaWeb. University of California, Berkeley. Retrieved July 8, 2024.
  3. ^ Peera Chantasirivisal; David B. Wake; Ann T. Chang; Michelle S. Koo (October 25, 2005). Kellie Whittaker (ed.). "Hyalinobatrachium valerioi (Dunn, 1931)". AmphibiaWeb. University of California, Berkeley. Retrieved July 8, 2024.
  4. ^ Mike Dorcas; Whit Gibbons (2011). Frogs: Ultimate Animal Answer Guide (Preview). Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 64. ISBN 9781421401188. Retrieved July 8, 2024.