Nature

Watch This Bullfrog Heroically Protect His Tadpoles

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Tony Maples Photography

 

Who knew that bullfrog dads could be so protective and industrious? In a video uploaded by Nature on PBS, we see the instinctive knowledge that the frog has to keep his tadpoles safe.

At first glance, the bullfrog almost doesn’t look real. For Texans, the African bullfrog looks uncharacteristically large and colorful, but this creature prospers in sub-Saharan Africa. According to the Maryland Zoo, male African bullfrogs are about 9 inches long and weigh around two pounds. Surprisingly, they can live up to 45 years!

Their lives begin as small tadpoles. “[The female frogs] will lay up to 4,000 eggs per clutch. Her mate – usually the dominant male in the territory – will fertilize the eggs above the waterline. They hatch within two days, and it is the male who exhibits parental care,” the Maryland Zoo wrote on their website.

One of the ways the bullfrog father takes care of his young is by making sure they have plenty of water to reside in. In the video below, the pool his young are swimming around in is quickly drying up under the hot sun. What is a dad to do? Click play to see how he keeps them all safe and sound.