tadpole transfer ?

[porkchop]

maybe a silly irrelevent question... but how is it that a tad can come out af an egg sac onto a parents back and survive for up to a couple days without being in water? is it breathing air? doesn't it need water? what makes it able to survive there when it comes from liquid in sac and between getting to water? :idea: [/b]

[Dancing frogs]

Excellent question!
I assume secretions play a part, though when I've seen transport in progress, the frogs don't look any more "wet" than usual...HRRMMMM....

[porkchop]

yeah, my Imi carried one for a day and a half and it really got me wondering... :idea:

[Dancing frogs]

I hear ya...really, there's nothing wrong with the water in those film cans...just drop the sucker already!

[elmoisfive]

Not a silly question at all. From my observation, the tadpoles being transported appear to be wet with a thin layer of water....also the interface between the parent's back and the tadpole is presumbably quite wet to enhance adherance and probably provides an opportunity for oxygen

Here are a few pics (apologies for the poor photo quality in a couple) that show you what I mean....

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v395/ ... 3_4307.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v395/ ... 8_3885.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v395/ ... 2_3216.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v395/ ... 2_8229.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v395/ ... 4_8477.jpg

As to how long the male carries the tadpole, I think in some sense it is governed by when the tadpole is sufficent vigorous post hatching to detach and swim off. I have seen on two separate occasions with intermedius and imitators a situation where the parent sat submerged in the water with tad on back for hours and the tadpole wouldn't budge....ultimately within a day the tadpole was swimming around in the same water pool.

Bill

[porkchop]

Thanks Bill, you obviously have had a bit of experience w/ observation!
and i think all the points you make are feasible, seems like the interface must be more than water, probably an excretion for the tadpoles sake, then a membrane covering whole tad to keep from oxygen maybe, pure speculation on my part ofcourse. Several days after my tad was dropped off, i viewed the male and female feeding him down in the brom, the tad was frantically trying to get back on daddys back as he was pushing eggs down into the axil, he was fighting like crazy to get back on there.
So anyway, this all seems like speculation from observation, i was just wondering if there was some scientific data on it for my curiosity.
By the way, great pics Bill.

[schegini14]

Bill,

Those are some really nice pics

[elmoisfive]

Tony,

I suspect that the frantic movement of the tadpole that you saw was 'begging' as the tadpole will wiggle wildly to get the parents attention and I have seen them appear to swim up the submerged parent's back in those situations. Very cool that you got to see that in action.

Bill