Frog of the Week

Tusked Frog (Adelotus brevis)

tuskedfrog
Image By User: Tnarg 12345

nearthreatened
Common Name: Tusked Frog
Scientific Name: Adelotus brevis
Family: Myobatrachidae
Location: Australia
Size: 1.9 inches or 50 mm for males while 1.5 inches or 40 mm for females

The Tusked Frog is named after bony structures on its lower jaw that look like tusks. Both males and females have these tusks but males have larger ones.

Adelotus_tusks
CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2747243

Males fight over females, often locking jaws with each other using their tusks. Females try to select the largest males to breed with. After the female selects a male, males and females lay their eggs in a foam nest. They can lay over 600 eggs in a nest. The male then guards the eggs until they hatch. Females probably selected larger males for breeding because they are better at protecting their nest.

The Tusked Frog is listed as Near Threatened. Dead Tusked Frogs infected with Chytrid Fungus have been found. Hopefully, we can stop Chytrid Fungus before it kills them off.

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