How Poison Frogs Evolved to Carry Tadpoles on Their Backs
Poison frogs lay their eggs on land, but their young are aquatic, so they must be carried to water when they hatch. In these species, parenting is like a delivery service. The tadpoles cling onto their parent's back, and the little frogs travel far and wide in search of the best places to drop their young. It is a demanding job, but how did tadpole transport evolve?
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References:
Ringler E, et al Adopt, ignore, or kill? Male poison frogs adjust parental decisions according to their territorial status. Sci Rep 2017;7:43544.
Furness AI & Capellini I. The evolution of parental care diversity in amphibians. Nat Comms 2019;10:4709.
Juan D. Carvajal-Castro JD, et al. Aposematism facilitates the diversification of parental care strategies in poison frogs. Sci Rep 2021;11:19047.
Pašukonis A, et al. How far do tadpoles travel in the rainforest?: Parent-assisted dispersal in poison frogs. Evol Ecol 2019;33:613–623.
Credit:
Poison Dart Frogs, the Documentary. • Jewels of the Neotropics
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