Abstract
The pattern of growth, age and size at sexual maturity, and sexual size dimorphism were determined for 30 Indian bullfrogs, (Hoplobatrachus tigerinus) reared in out-door terraria, from metamorphosis to 3 years of age. Size and the growth rates for males and females were comparable throughout the study. For SVL, annual mean growth rate was very high in the first year (7.31 cm) but declined in the 2nd (2.70 cm) and 3rd (0.53 cm) years. For body mass, annual mean growth rate was similar (∼68 g) for the 1st and 2nd years but declined (24.31 g) in the 3rd year. In general, growth was faster during summer than in winter months. After attaining maturity, growth rate declined for both sexes. Some males attained sexual maturity in the first year (10 months old), while the remaining males and all females matured at the end of 2nd year. In naturally occurring breeding populations, males tend to be smaller than females. This difference appears to be due to the presence of males and females of different age groups rat...
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
