A frog that can inflate into a spherical state (8 photos)

The blunt-headed burrowing frog became famous for its appearance. In case of danger, it inflates to a complete spherical state.





The thick-headed frog deserves to be included in the cast of characters in creepy fairy tales. Pop-eyed, short-legged, spherical - you still need to look for such awkward animals! And the name of the amphibian is telling: the thick-headed frog was not named for its mental abilities, but because its muzzle has a very expressive flat chin. It is not known why frogs acquire such a thing, but it is certainly very useful.



They also know how to inflate almost to a full spherical state. This is how they show fear. Deception allows frogs to deceive a predator. The small frog suddenly increases in size. And this, in turn, scares not very smart predators.



Yes, the stupid frog looks like a balloon from a joke store, but it doesn’t strive to fly. Quite the opposite: the amphibian goes deeper into the depths and hardly sticks out from there. The exception is the mating season.



The fact is that the frog lives in the dry forests of Asia. And if adult amphibians are accustomed to an underground lifestyle, tadpoles cannot be trained to develop in a sandbox - they need moisture and water. Like it or not, you will have to crawl out of the cozy darkness of the dungeon to continue the family line.



During the breeding season, frogs swell even more. Although it would seem where...

The process itself occurs as follows: having met their soulmate, the lovers fall into their arms and float without being separated from each other! Periodically, the couple dives: at this time the female lays eggs, and the male fertilizes them. The size of one clutch is up to 300 eggs.



Cuddles happen en masse: a bunch of frogs cling to each other and swim in a romantic extravaganza. At this time, they are extremely vulnerable: both to predators and to people. Yes, to their misfortune, amphibians fell in love with humans. In Thailand, slow-witted burrowing frogs are considered a delicacy and are caught during the breeding season.



Why? Yes, because the rest of the time, amphibians sit in underground burrows, which they dig themselves. Animals prefer not to share their living space, settling in a hole all alone. But when the entire large population gathers in a local puddle, it also screams that there is no way to eat - I don’t want to catch it - I don’t want to. Hunting for funny and tasty amphibians has reduced their numbers so much that today the species is in danger of extinction.



But we all learn from our mistakes, and burrowing frogs are no exception. Their mating rituals are quite secretive and when any observers approach, the frogs scatter. Therefore, it was possible to capture the direct process of love between these amphibians and the behavior of tadpoles only in 2014.