Gigolo!

Sunday – January 6th - was the last day of Frogs! at the Milwaukee Public Museum.  One of the most advanced traveling frog exhibitions in the country Jill and I took the opportunity to take-in and experience the vocal and visual beauty of these frogs from around the world. The exhibition has moved on and this is the second of several postings I’ll publish over the next couple of weeks.  So be sure to check back periodically and learn something about my favorite people - the herps.

Behold Trachycephalus resinifictrix – the Amazon Milk Frog. 

click on image for a closer look

 

This frog’s range includes French Guiana, Brazil, Ecuador and the Peruvian Amazon. 

It lives and breeds in wet tree tops of the tropical forest.  During the breeding season the calling of the male milk frog lures a female to deposit two to three thousand eggs in his water-filled tree hole.  She leaves the male to fertilize them and care for the young.  After a couple of weeks and the tadpoles hatch the male lures another female to lay her eggs in the same water hole.  He doesn’t fertilize the second batch of eggs but uses them to feed his hungry tadpoles.  By feigning a love interest he tricks the second female into delivering food for babies that are not hers. 

Gigolo.