Image via BBC
Maybe mountain monogamy is no more, but fidelity is the name of the game for a species of Peruvian poison frogs. Recent genetic testing has revealed the first truly faithful amphibious species.
Living in a rainforest in South America, the Ranitomeya imitator, or mimic poison frog — as it is more commonly known — has been known to science for quite some time. But it wasn’t until recently that biologist Dr. Jason Brown and his colleagues began further study on the species, which was filmed for the BBC natural history documentary series Life in Cold Blood.
Details of the faithful sex life of the frog are to be published in the American Naturalist, but here’s the gist of it: After doing the deed, the female lays her eggs on a surface of leaves, the male takes them one by one as tadpoles to his pool of water to look after them, and the female then joins them and lays an infertile egg for them to eat.
Many species act in unison like this and appear to be loyal, but scientists have found that common routine does not equal monogamy. As it turns out, most animals that appear to have one significant other for a lifetime actually cheat on their partners when they get the chance.
But it’s different for the mimic poison frogs. According to the BBC:
Their tadpoles cannot survive without the care of both their father and mother, as there is too little natural food in their smaller pools.
So the frogs stick together for the sake of their children and the survival of their species. Dr. Brown commented on the wholesome nature of the species, saying:
“These frogs are truly devoted to their offspring, and to each other.”
[Via: BBC News]
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