The partners rise from the floor while in amplexus and flip through the water in arcs. During each arc, the female releases 3-10 eggs, which get embedded in the skin on her back by the male's movements. After implantation the eggs sink into the skin and form pockets over a period of several days, eventually taking on the appearance of an irregular honeycomb. The larvae develop through the tadpole stage inside these pockets, eventually emerging from the mother's back as fully developed toads, though they are less than an inch long.
You really have to see the full sized image to grasp the true horror of this.
Cheers for that, Jamie, has put me right off my porridge. :)
Whenever I am revolted by some revelation of the excesses of the natural world, I look within myself for the serenity to overcome - by meditating on the fact that human poo is as much as 2/3 bacteria corpses by weight.
Seriously, that weirds you out? You need to get along to some more human births...
It's probably best to just think of it as a sort of cannibalistic botfly.
Oh wait, no, that actually makes it rather a lot worse. Sorry!
At least it isn't traumatic insemination, a mating innovation that has been developed by certain species of bed bug. In some cases, this has emerged within the last century.
Just tell me one thing, Burke. You're going out there to destroy them, right? Not to study. Not to bring back. But to wipe them ou
I've heard of and seen these critters before. It's easy and understandable to fear the exotic, but consider the following.
Most frogs where I live keep their eggs in a jellied mass that looks like a pea fruitcake. That sounds (and looks) pretty awful.
At least these frog moms don't abandon their children in jelly.
Belostomatidae
Also
I heard it's like squishy, watery bubblewrap.
"I heard it's like squishy, watery bubblewrap."
That is, in fact, far more disgusting than Surinam toad birth.
I have a couch like that. If only it could walk.
Baby got back.
Ugh, someone fed it after midnight and got it wet?
Fantastic, we need a third film in the series.
Good lord. Having recently produced a human offspring myself, I had been under the impression that there was no reproductive process more needlessly disgusting and messy than mammalian birth. How terribly, terribly wrong I was.
If ever - this is something calling for ol' blue eyes.
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x4tadf_ive-got-you-under-my-skin_music
They're just hitching a ride, though, not erupting!
>You really have to see the full sized image to grasp the true horror of this.
Nu-uh. I'm still getting over larvaeboob.
That was my first thought as well, it's very similar.
My back is tingling now.
Fuh-- man. I just got that out of my head. JUST GOT IT OUT.
For me, this was nowhere near larvaeboob.
Any organic thing with lots of little holes in it I associate with larvaeboob.
Trypophobia, I haz it.
*shudder*
I didn't have it until larvaeboob.
There's no horror to be had, they look like happy little chest bursters.
yeah, I've thought for some time now that this is definitely the absolute grossest thing I've ever seen.
I misspoke, of course. This is far from being one of the most disgusting things I've ever seen. I meant "in the natural world". You know, not including innovations by the Japanese or Furries.
Rent "The Manitou" and be horrified by human back birth and 1970's fashions.
Your toad is all I could think of while watching this video.