#anura

[inatherps]

Cuban Tree Frog (Osteopilus septentrionalis)

Observed by shmavin, CC BY-NC

[snototter]

Green pond frogs (Euphlyctis hexadactylus) perch on an Asiatic water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) in Kumana National Park, Sri Lanka

by Gary Stephenson

[birdblues]

Purple Harlequin Toad

[markscherz]

This week, we described three new species of toads from Tanzania in the Open Access journal Vertebrate Zoology!

Photo credit: John Lyakurwa.

These toads look absolutely crazy. Like, look at the new species Nectophrynoides uhehe:

Photo credit: Michele Menegon

Or the closely related Nectophrynoides viviparus, which was described in 1905 but which we revised in this paper.

Photo credit: Michele Menegon

These are unlike most toads you might know. They live in trees and bushes of the rainforest, crawling and leaping about!

But neither ecology nor apperance are nearly the craziest part: These toads are live bearing! Females carry huge litters, sometimes >100 young, until they complete their development, and give birth to these tiny, fully formed toadlets.

CW: Preserved specimen of a pregnant toad below the cut.

Check out this photo of a pregnant female of the new species Nectophrynoides saliensis, with her torso completely packed with babies!

Photo by Christian Thrane, who did his Bachelor's thesis on the taxonomy of this group, which became this publication on which he is the first author.

Long-time followers of my tumblr probably know by now that the egg-tadpole-froglet-frog paradigm of anuran reproduction is oversimplified; that something like one third of all frogs either do not have tadpoles at all, or have non-feeding tadpoles that are not free-swimming. But live bearing is a form of reproduction that is extremely rare among frogs. However, it is a trait shared by all members of the genus Nectophrynoides and the closely related Nimbaphrynoides. It is truly bizarre, and requires a host of specialised adaptations. Our newly described species add to the list of known species that practice this behaviour—a list that we also know will continue to grow in the near future as further known but yet undescribed species of Nectophrynoides receive scientific names.

You can read more about the discovery over on my website, here!

[uncharismatic-fauna]

Uncharismatic Fact of the Day

There's nothing more complicated than a paradox- except, of course the paradoxical frog! The tadpoles of this species can grow up to 27 cm (11 in) in length. Then, paradoxically, they 'shrink' during metamorphosis and come out the other end only a quarter of their juvenile size; usually between 3.4–7.6 cm (1.3–3.0 in) long.

(Images: A pair of paradoxical frog (Pseudis paradoxa) tadpoles (left) and an adult (right) by Wilson Lombana Riaño 2)

[voidheartkisses]

My art block has been bad

[have-you-seen-this-animal]

Hi hi. May I politely request the pobblebonk?

(Thank you for running this blog. I've learned about so many creatures since following!)

Of course!!

Have you seen the Eastern banjo frog (Limnodynastes dumerilii)?

I have now

Yes, in photos/videos

Yes, irl

I'm not sure

Voting ended onMay 23

The name pobblebonk comes from their call which is considered to sound similar to a banjo string being plucked.

[flighty-flycatcher]

📍 Location: Nags Head, North Carolina 🗓 Date: May 25, 2026 🐾 Media: Image 🌿 Species: Eastern Spadefoot (Scaphiopus holbrookii) 📝 Notes: Secretive burrowing amphibian native to sandy pine flatwoods, coastal plains, scrub habitats, floodplains, and open woodlands of the eastern United States. Recognized by its smooth gray, brown, or olive skin, scattered darker markings, vertical pupils, and distinctive hardened “spade” on each hind foot used for digging backward into loose soil.

Primarily nocturnal and rarely seen outside of rainy periods, this species spends much of its life underground to avoid heat and drought. After heavy rains, adults emerge to breed explosively in temporary ponds, roadside pools, and flooded depressions where tadpoles develop rapidly before the water dries. When disturbed, individuals may quickly burrow into sand or leaf litter using powerful hind legs.

🔗 iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/365265785