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The frog species from the Brazilian rainforest has become the first amphibian to be recorded living in the “harem” with the regime of one guy loyal to only two girls, nothing more, no less.

That is one of the results of the investigation, by zoologist Fabio de Sa – of Estadual de Campinas University – published in a scientific article in the journal Science Advances, on 12-8-2020.

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The team captured the life of the frog Thoropa taophora in the cliffs on the edge of the rainforest, where there are relatively few spawning sites, or fresh water, but are more exposed to the sun.

This frog is reddish brown, making it easy to hide from its surroundings. Male frogs have long spikes on their thumbs, which are their signature “weapon” in combat. Male frogs are always close to the eggs and tadpoles to protect them, sometimes “patrol” around the spawning area, emitting aggressive calls to intimidate, scare away intruders.

The most interesting finding is that males only live with two females, including one dominant female frog (eg … righteous), and a secondary female frog (secondary).

Male frog Thoropa taophora at Sununga beach, Utatuba, Brazil, on 12-8-2020. Anh: AFP.
Male frog Thoropa taophora at Sununga beach, Utatuba, Brazil, on 12-8-2020. Anh: AFP.
The competition between two female frogs in each “harem” is often as follows: the dominant female actually responds to the male’s calls, and seems to push the secondary female out in the process. that flirting process. When the “righteous” approaches and mates with the “king”, the secondary female frogs (“the kind”) stand aside and … completely motionless.

The “righteous” female frog sometimes also activates mating by… eating some eggs that the male is guarding. Male frogs often chase the female away to protect the eggs. If the egg eater is “righteous”, sometimes the male frog does not repel and mate with it, leading to the creation of new eggs that carry the dominant female frog’s genes.

On the contrary, when the female frog “cockroaches” swoop in to eat eggs, the male frog will just… embrace it without mating, until it stops eating eggs to provoke.

According to the team, it is one of the manifestations of the “king’s” reaction that changes according to … the ranks of each female frog in each “harem”.

The team confirmed what they saw in video by analyzing genetic material obtained from the reproductive regions of the “harem” in the study area. The results showed that the dominant females contributed from 56% to… 97% of the tadpoles in the seven spawns analyzed.