Loaf Frog: As a Frog, I Can't Hop or Jump, It's So Embarrassing!
The thunder rumbled, and all things grew. Thunder lizards are like marching horns, awakening the dormant warriors. They seemed to have a little drowsiness and a hazy appearance, but they didn't complain at all, hurriedly gathering into the camp. Spring is also a season that stimulates all things to revive and mate, intertwined like a romantic artist, pouring their emotions into it.
Everyone is familiar with the little tadpoles and little frogs, and they '' every day. It's impossible not to remember them. As the saying goes, 'Art comes from life.' Don't you remember playing with paper frogs when you were a child? Now, let's 'play' with this fierce and cute frog – the short-headed frog species
It's too ruthless to call it fierce. It's more appropriate to say it's fierce and cute! The short-headed frog species, also known as the 'loaf frog' species, is a subspecies of the new frog order, the amphibian family, with five genera and about 15 species. Let's call it 'loaf frog' for short. Don't think it's trying to roar with all its might – it's just trying to drive away invaders with its adorable appearance! Just like a pull-string toy, it will take off as soon as you pull it, scaring off the two-legged and four-legged animal enthusiasts, who now consider it a new favorite toy
The loaf frog is mainly distributed in the south of Africa, including South Africa and Namibia, with a long coastline. Here, it's known for its dryness, and rainfall is sparse. Sometimes, the rain hasn't even reached the ground before evaporating in the air, forming dense fog. Such a 'world surface' area is not suitable for frogs, let alone other animals. However, we can see that there are rooted vegetation and small animals living in the sand. This is adaptation to the environment, and survival of the fittest!
Life in nature develops and multiplies in a rhythmic order. When the fog brings moisture to the sand, the desert spring begins. After a long wait, the long-awaited creatures start to reproduce, and the 'loaf frog' smells the spring and crawls out of the sand.
The 'loaf frog' is generally 5 centimeters long and weighs about 6 grams. It has disproportionately large eyes compared to its spherical body, which looks a little ''. Its skin can merge with the desert sand, with a mottled brown color and a creamy white spot. It looks a little like a 'loaf' cake! The skin secretes mucus, which covers a layer of sand, making it more hidden. Wearing a multi-layered protective garment, it's not worried about hunting, and the chubby belly is proof!
No matter how special its appearance is, it's quite tenacious to survive in the desert. The 'loaf frog' is not like most frogs, which live on grassy lawns or soil. Instead, it hides underground and only appears on the surface after rain. Like frogs, it comes out after rain!
During the rain and the time after the rain, the 'loaf frog' is most active. In fact, most of the time it's sleeping in the soil. The real reason for waking up is the change in air pressure. When the air pressure is low and the temperature is above 20 degrees Celsius, they are more active
However, it can only take a walk and cannot jump. The 'loaf frog' cannot jump, which is different from other frogs. Most importantly, the 'loaf frog' cannot swim. Not being able to swim means it will be submerged in the water, and the only way to save itself is to blow its body and rely on its belly to float, slowly paddling with its small short hands to the land, for self-rescue
The 'loaf frog' fights for love and competes for mates. Both male and female frogs have their unique methods of competing for mates. For example, male frogs often try to push each other with their vocal sacs, or bite each other, which is a fierce wrestling match. Male frogs will quietly follow female frogs and try to hug them. It's 'husband-in-command'
During the breeding season, male frogs will form a chorus to respond and sing together, and 'soprano' after 'soprano'. After the 'soprano' initiated by the leading singer, other members will explode and sing together. The chorus is very loud, and the female frogs will hold a 'beauty pageant'. Female frogs will produce about thirty eggs, and the baby frogs will be in a jelly-like egg sac. Frog eggs are buried in the moist soil and sand until they completely transform. The 'loaf frog''s food box has earthworms, white ants and small insects, and after eating a full meal, the 'loaf frog's' will call and sing to find mates and digest their food, doing everything in one go!
However, in recent years, with the frequent mining of diamond deposits, the 'loaf frog' is facing a red warning. The place where it lives has a large diamond deposit, and people conduct door-to-door sand searches to mine diamonds
Under this fine and crude digging, the natural environment is severely damaged, plants are destroyed, sand is overturned, and the 'loaf frog''s home is disrupted like a forced relocation. Now, the 'loaf frog' is classified as a vulnerable species. In addition, in recent years, 'loaf frogs' have been extensively captured and sold to collectors around the world, and they have adapted to their original habitat in terrariums. Some have even died on the road, and it's a mistake to love and play with it without owning it. Illegal capture and trade are even more wrong!
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