Just a Gigolo
Part of the Frogs: A Chorus of Colors exhibition.
During the breeding season, the loud call of a male milk frog lures a female to his water-filled tree hollow. The female lays her eggs in the pool and leaves the male to fertilize them and care for the young. After the tadpoles hatch, the male lures another female to lay eggs in the same water hole. He doesn't fertilize the second batch of eggs, but uses them to feed his hungry tadpoles. By "faking" a love interest, he tricks the second female into delivering food for babies that are not hers.
© Joe McDonald, Clyde Peeling's Reptiland
Amazon Milk Frog
Phrynohyas resinifictrix
Class: Amphibia
Family: Hylidae
Size: 3 to 4 ½ inches
Food: Insects
Range: French Guiana, Brazil, Ecuador, Peruvian Amazon
Habitat: Tree branches in wet tropical forest
Life Cycle: Breeding occurs high in trees. Females deposit 2,000 to 3,000 eggs in water-filled treeholes. Tadpoles hatch two weeks later.