Animal behavior: male parenting of New Guinea froglets.

Abstract

Male parental care is exceptionally rare in nature, although one of the most fascinating aspects of New Guinea's biodiversity is the evolution of male care in the frog family Microhylidae. Here I report a new mode of parental care: transport of froglets by the male parent, which was recently discovered in two species of microhylid frogs from the mountains of Papua New Guinea. As the offspring jump off at different points, they may benefit from reduced competition for food, lower predation pressure and fewer opportunities for inbreeding between froglets, which may explain why this unusual form of parental care evolved.