Why Are All the Roads Covered in Frogs in the Spring? Where Do They Migrate from Their Native Swamps? (6 photos)

Every year, a dozen or so media outlets write about a strange spring invasion of frogs that no one has ever seen before. And often, journalists don’t even mention in the last paragraphs of their articles that mass migrations of frogs are not just a regular event, they are the norm! And the reason for this is hidden in the lifestyle of amphibians.





Top-top, the baby is stomping!

As befits cold-blooded creatures, tree frogs, garlic toads and other amphibians hibernate in winter. Moreover, most of them sleep directly in the lake, buried in the mud. And all the amphibian brethren wake up almost simultaneously. With a difference of no more than a couple of weeks.



This is what the same garlic frog looks like - a strange frog that has taken an intermediate position between normal frogs and toads. It really smells like garlic, but at the same time its mucus is slightly poisonous.

The strongest desire of freshly defrosted animals is the desire to reproduce. Toads and garlic frogs that have wintered on land rush to reservoirs, not sparing their paws. And ordinary frogs do not even have to crawl anywhere - they begin to reproduce immediately. And they do the right thing: only the tadpoles that hatch in April-May have a chance to accumulate enough reserves to survive the winter.





We've certainly bred a lot...

For a couple of weeks, the amphibians croak, push, fight, and gather in huge mating piles or divide into modest pairs. The madness that reigns in the reservoirs is so unbridled and anarchic that not all amphibians survive to the end. But the rest, tired and exhausted, suddenly realize that this whole crowd of hungry mouths is not able to feed itself in one small pond. And the garlic toads and frogs even realize that they actually live on land.



Meet the mating ball! Yes, this is the official name of the phenomenon - mating ball.



Amphibians have external fertilization, so one female is surrounded by males from all sides. Their goal is to be the first to fertilize the eggs at the moment when the female lays them. That is why such strange piles are formed.

From this moment the great exodus begins. Amphibians flee from the lake in crowds, sometimes blocking roads and frightening inexperienced summer residents with their very presence. Of course, they attract the attention of journalists, for whom bright news is their daily bread. But after 2-3 kilometers from the breeding zone, the disorganized crowd completely disperses. Frogs find shelter in swamps, temporary lakes and forest streams, and spadefoot toads and frogs dig holes or hide in damp leaf litter. Everything returns to normal.



Motorists may even remember that we have a special road sign: "Seasonal migration of amphibians".

Therefore, if you see a crowd of frogs, know: this will pass. Do not crush them with your car, do not chase them away from the site. Amphibians are already incredibly weakened after hibernation and the breeding season - the life of each of them literally hangs by a thread.