GhostOfCaptSpaulding
08-11-2009, 11:11 PM
[offsite:29bqutk1]'Alien scene' of tadpoles feast
"Alien-like" scenes of tadpoles feasting on eggs emerging from their mother have been caught on camera.
The footage marks the success of a captive breeding programme for the critically endangered mountain chicken frog, one of the world's largest frogs...
...So far, four pairs of mountain chicken frogs have started to breed - which could result in hundreds of frogs. And this has given researchers an insight into the way that these unusual amphibians care for their offspring.
Professor John Fa, director of Durrell, said: "Mountain chickens have very peculiar breeding habits because they form foam nests in burrows in the ground."
The females lay their eggs in these nests, which eventually hatch into tadpoles. But as the nests are underground, food is scarce - so the frogs need to find a way to provide nutrition for their young.
Professor Fa explained: "In the case of mountain chickens, we have discovered that the female comes into the nest and starts laying a string of infertile eggs.
"We thought that the eggs would come out and drop to the bottom of the nest and then the tadpoles would start eating them. But the footage shows about 40 tadpoles congregating around the female and eating the eggs as they come out of the female's body.
"Every now and again, the female uses her back legs to push the tadpoles away from her body so another set can come up and eat as much as they can."
He added: "It is really weird - it is an alien scene. This is the first time we have caught this on film."
BBC News | 'Alien scene' of tadpoles feast (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8185125.stm)[/offsite:29bqutk1]
Nature, ain't it great?
I about hurled when it showed them shlurping up the eggs...
"Alien-like" scenes of tadpoles feasting on eggs emerging from their mother have been caught on camera.
The footage marks the success of a captive breeding programme for the critically endangered mountain chicken frog, one of the world's largest frogs...
...So far, four pairs of mountain chicken frogs have started to breed - which could result in hundreds of frogs. And this has given researchers an insight into the way that these unusual amphibians care for their offspring.
Professor John Fa, director of Durrell, said: "Mountain chickens have very peculiar breeding habits because they form foam nests in burrows in the ground."
The females lay their eggs in these nests, which eventually hatch into tadpoles. But as the nests are underground, food is scarce - so the frogs need to find a way to provide nutrition for their young.
Professor Fa explained: "In the case of mountain chickens, we have discovered that the female comes into the nest and starts laying a string of infertile eggs.
"We thought that the eggs would come out and drop to the bottom of the nest and then the tadpoles would start eating them. But the footage shows about 40 tadpoles congregating around the female and eating the eggs as they come out of the female's body.
"Every now and again, the female uses her back legs to push the tadpoles away from her body so another set can come up and eat as much as they can."
He added: "It is really weird - it is an alien scene. This is the first time we have caught this on film."
BBC News | 'Alien scene' of tadpoles feast (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8185125.stm)[/offsite:29bqutk1]
Nature, ain't it great?
I about hurled when it showed them shlurping up the eggs...