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Project Noah Nature School
Ascaphus truei
The "tail", visible clearly in the second picture, is found only in males, and is an extension of the cloaca. These are the only frogs to exhibit internal fertilization, an adaptation to the fast-flowing streams where they live where sperm would otherwise be lost to the environment. The tadpoles (third picture) have distinctive large oral suckers that help them to cling onto rocks.
Cold, fast-flowing mountain streams.
Spotted on Mar 7, 2012
Submitted on Mar 8, 2012
1 Comment
Don't recall ever hearing about this frog. Very interesting spotting ! - thanks for sharing this and also for the information.