The frog whose father gives birth out of his own mouth
In this species the father swallows his own tadpoles, and later spits out fully formed frogs.
Which one is REALLY true about the Darwin's Frog?
The short version
The male Darwin's frog guards the eggs until the tadpoles twitch, then swallows them into his vocal sac, where they feed and grow for weeks inside his throat before hopping out of his mouth as tiny complete frogs.
Why it's so weird
- ✓The Darwin's Frog has fathers who stand guard over the eggs for weeks, watching for the tadpoles to start twitching.
- ✓The Darwin's Frog swallows its own tadpoles the moment they move, then slips them into the father's vocal sac.
- ✓The Darwin's Frog raises those tadpoles inside the father's throat for weeks while they feed and grow.
- ✓The Darwin's Frog leaves the father completely silent that whole time, because he cannot croak with a throat full of young.
- ✓The Darwin's Frog finishes by having the father open his mouth so tiny fully formed frogs hop straight out, one by one.
You could line up about 41 of them along a 7-year-old!
The full story
In this species, the father gives birth out of his own mouth. Meet Darwin's frog, a tiny amphibian from the cool forests of Chile and Argentina. After the female lays her eggs, the male stands guard over them for weeks, watching the clutch very closely. The moment he sees the tadpoles start to twitch inside, he swallows them, but he does not eat them. Instead he slips them into his vocal sac, the stretchy pouch he normally uses for croaking. There the tadpoles live, feeding and growing inside his throat for weeks, while he goes about his life unable to call. When they are fully formed little frogs, he opens his mouth and they hop straight out, one by one. Follow for more weird animal facts.
Watch the 45-second version
Watch it on the channel.
Darwin's Frog gallery
Check what you learned
No score, no pressure — just see what stuck. Tap Real or Fake.
“The Darwin's Frog has fathers who stand guard over the eggs for weeks, watching for the tadpoles to start twitching.”
“The Darwin's Frog builds its own disguise by attaching living things onto its body.”
“The Darwin's Frog swallows its own tadpoles the moment they move, then slips them into the father's vocal sac.”