A Guide to the Amphibians
and Reptiles of California
Frog and Toad Behavior - Reproduction
Click on a picture for a larger view
| iPhone App Electronic Field Guide to the Reptiles and Amphibians of Southern California Available Now at the iTunes App Store. |
These are pictures and videos that illustrate some of the interesting behaviors of some of the frogs and toads shown on this web site. (Not all interesting frog and toad behaviors are shown here, only those from this site. More will be added here as they are added to the site.) Follow the links on the name of each species to find more pictures and information about it. |
|||
| Males typically call until a female comes into their territory and then they quickly jump onto the back of the female and hold on. Males have thicker and stronger front legs than females to help them hold on, and they even develop special grasping pads, called Nuptial Pads, on one or more fingers of each hand to help their grasp. This behavior is called Amplexus. Males can get so excited that they will sometimes grab onto other males, other species of frogs, and even other animals, such as fish. Sometimes several males go after the same female, forming a ball of males with a female in the middle. This can be dangerous to the female is she cannot get to the surface to breathe. The male stays on the female until she lays her eggs and he fertilizes them. | |||
 |
 |
 |
|
A nuptial pad on front foot of an adult male Boreal Toad. |
|||
 |
 |
 |
|
| Couch's Spadefoot | |||
 |
 |
 |
|
| This video shows a male and a female Western Spadefoot in amplexus underwater in a breeding area of a rocky creek bed in San Joaquin County. You can also see some eggs by the pair and floating nearby. (The first shot is of the female after the male left her.) | |||
 |
 |
 |
|
Yosemite Toads in amplexus with the female depositing her eggs |
Congregation of breeding adult California Toads © Joyce Gross |
Male California Toads searching for females will sometimes go after anything that moves. These California Toads appear to be trying to amplex a catfish. © Andy Hatch |
|
 |
 |
 |
|
| These misguided California Toads are attempting to breed with a dead toad. It's possible they found a dead female, but its also possible they suffocated or drowned her in their agressive competition to amplex her. © Mark Gary | |||
 |
 |
 |
|
| These videos showbreeding behavior at the shallow outlet of a pond in Contra Costa County where at least 8 solo males and 10 pairs in amplexus were observed in the area. | |||
 |
|||
| This video shows some of the sounds and activities of Black Toads on the breeding grounds. | In this video, a group of male Black Toads thrash around in the water trying to wrestle away a female away from another male. |
A short video of non-stop ultimate toad-fighting action with a gang of Black Toads trying to steal away females from other males, chasing them around the pond. | |
 |
|||
| This video shows a Northern Red-legged Frog breeding habitat with eggs. | |||
| Sometimes Male frogs and toads grab onto a female or even a male of the wrong species, as you can see below. | |||
 |
 |
 |
|
| This Houston Toad is in amplexus with the wrong species - a Gulf Coast Toad. | These California Red-legged Frogs are in amplexus with California Toads that share their ponds and breed at the same time. | ||
Return to the Top
© 2000 - 2013