Caring parents: An amphibian story

Who walked on land as the first among all animal? Did they care for their offspring?

Starting with the first question, the answers is not the king of the jungle or any species of bird; not even us! It was those slime-coated frogs, toads and their cousins. They are the pioneers in bending all the known laws of evolution. 

They envisaged the land invasion from water, exemplifying tenacity when it came to child care. In short, they have showcased to the world the art of adaptation.

In science, we call them amphibians. And, amphibians rank higher among the most kind-hearted and attentive parents in nature. 

A Biological Wonder

You do not need to have a vast knowledge of science to know of a frog's residence. Decomposing leaf-litter, forest undergrowth, tiny puddles, bottom of a swamp and so on. No picture will give a standard norm that you may call home-sweet-home. Wet, damp, full of microbes, and predators lurking around – all of the above make an amphibian's lair. Yet, they are successful in raising babies. 

From background matching to directly carry on back-frogs know to care their babies. Photo: Rick Ranger/Alex Hyde/ Dante Fenolio

This phenomenon naturally oozes enigma to scientists. After studying for years with patience, parental care among amphibians is decoded to be on a satisfactory level.

Caring Parents of rainforests 

Caring frog parents are mostly found in area buzzing with life. Moist, broadleaf, rainforests of the tropics are crammed with diverse species. Thus, amphibian parents have to be extra-tending and vigorous. Therefore, amphibian reproductive expressions have resorted to extensive modifications.

Six primary modes 

Biologists have grouped parental behaviour of the amphibians. From the laying of eggs to the transformation of larvae (yes, tadpole, it is!), one may see six main strategies. These primary types are, in turn, categorised under three broad perspectives: egg caring, tadpole caring and feeding of tadpoles. These functioning can be expressed in a myriad of ways, generally species-specific. 

Frogs guard their eggs, carry them on back, glue them to the body, transport them through water and what not! 

Mending a safe home

Building nest is not a post-modern act. It has been in practice since the bygone era; not uncommon among the amphibians either. They are known to build and modify dedicated places for raising their offspring. It can be mud nest or a puddle thawed with mud or underground litter.

Active Guardianship

The extreme definition of parental care is likely the vigorous protection of the eggs and young tadpoles. Several frogs including the infamous poison dart frogs and large salamanders defend the clutch from any potential threat. 

Frogs are generally small and quite torpid. They are not armed to teeth and claw. So, how do they defend when encountering a larger predator? They have some tricks up their sleeves: distracting the predator, irritating, leading to a false nest and last but not the least, it can offer itself to the predator so that the eggs can safely hatch.

Becoming a porteur 

After mating, fertilized eggs can be glued to the back or encased in chambers inside the skin pouch. 

The Suinam toad, in some sense, can give you trypophobia. The skin of the male become cleft as he carries the eggs on back. The egg sinks in separate rooms, poking a tiny portion out - which all together mimic a section of bee hive!

There is no free-living tadpole stage in certain cases, for example, the horned marsupial frog. Tadpole transforms within fully closed chambers. When maturation is done, tiny froglets make just their way out!

Why Parental Care

After reading all the strategies, you are now pondering – why do they do this?

The care of the parents always come from a single intention – survival of the newborn, and thus, existence of the species. It is the main pros of the parental care, as investigated in various studies. This is why the primitive amphibians seem so intelligent in baby-sitting. However, enhanced parental care often cost reduced life span of the parent owing to less feeding, exposure to predator, and the bulk energy spent in child care. 

But, by then, the upper hand is ensured. That is, a successful progeny is left behind!