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Animal behaviour

Male parenting of New Guinea froglets

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Abstract

Male parental care is exceptionally rare in nature, although one of the most fascinating aspects of New Guinea's biodiversity is the evolution of male care in the frog family Microhylidae1. Here I report a new mode of parental care: transport of froglets by the male parent, which was recently discovered in two species of microhylid frogs from the mountains of Papua New Guinea. As the offspring jump off at different points, they may benefit from reduced competition for food, lower predation pressure and fewer opportunities for inbreeding between froglets, which may explain why this unusual form of parental care evolved.

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Figure 1: A male Liophryne schlaginhaufeni transporting froglets.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Miami, PO Box 249118, Coral Gables, 33124-0421, Florida, USA

    David Bickford

  2. Wildlife Conservation Society, Papua New Guinea Program, PO Box 277, Goroka, EHP, Papua New Guinea

    David Bickford

Authors
  1. David Bickford
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Correspondence to David Bickford.

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The author declares no competing financial interests.

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Bickford, D. Male parenting of New Guinea froglets. Nature 418, 601–602 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1038/418601b

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/418601b

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