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Physiology: Animal Function and Reproduction

Reproduction

What is unique about egg incubation in some amphibians?

Unlike most toads and frogs, the female Surinam toad (Pipa pipa) carries her eggs in special pockets in the skin on her back. Each egg develops in its own pocket in the female’s skin. The tadpoles’ tails are “plugged in” to the mother’s system, similar to the placenta of mammals, exchanging nutrients and gases. The tadpoles develop quickly, undergoing metamorphosis while still in the pockets. Upon transformation into miniature frogs, they break free of their pocket walls to begin independent lives.



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