Editing Frog (section)

===Reproduction===
Two main types of reproduction occur in frogs, prolonged breeding and explosive breeding. In the former, adopted by the majority of species, adult frogs  at certain times of year assemble at a pond, lake or stream to breed. Many frogs return to the bodies of water in which they developed as larvae. This often results in annual migrations involving thousands of individuals. In explosive breeders, mature adult frogs arrive at breeding sites in response to certain trigger factors such as rainfall occurring in an arid area. In these frogs, mating and spawning take place promptly and the speed of larval growth is rapid in order to make use of the ephemeral pools before they dry up.<ref name=Stebbins>{{cite book |title=A Natural History of Amphibians |last1=Stebbins |first1=Robert C. |author-link1=Robert C. Stebbins|last2=Cohen|first2= Nathan W. |year=1995 |publisher=Princeton University Press |isbn=978-0-691-03281-8 |pages=154–162 }}</ref>

Among prolonged breeders, males usually arrive at the breeding site first and remain there for some time whereas females tend to arrive later and depart soon after they have spawned. This means that males outnumber females at the water's edge and defend territories from which they expel other males. They advertise their presence by calling, often alternating their croaks with neighbouring frogs. Larger, stronger males tend to have deeper calls and maintain higher quality territories. Females select their mates at least partly on the basis of the depth of their voice.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Davies, N. B. |author2=Halliday, T. R. |year=1978 |title=Deep croaks and fighting assessment in toads ''Bufo bufo'' |journal=Nature |volume=274 |issue=5672 |pages=683–685 |doi=10.1038/274683a0|bibcode=1978Natur.274..683D |s2cid=4222519 }}</ref>  In some species there are satellite males who have no territory and do not call. They may intercept females that are approaching a calling male or take over a vacated territory. Calling is an energy-sapping activity. Sometimes the two roles are reversed and a calling male gives up its territory and becomes a satellite.<ref name=Stebbins/>

[[File:Bufo bufo couple during migration(2005).jpg|thumb|Male and female [[common toad]]s (''Bufo bufo'') in [[amplexus]]]]

In explosive breeders, the first male that finds a suitable breeding location, such as a temporary pool, calls loudly and other frogs of both sexes converge on the pool. Explosive breeders tend to call in unison creating a chorus that can be heard from far away. The spadefoot  toads (''[[Scaphiopus]] spp.'') of North America fall into this category. Mate selection and courtship is not as important as speed in reproduction. In some years, suitable conditions may not occur and the frogs may go for two or more years without breeding.<ref name=Stebbins/> Some female [[New Mexico Spadefoot Toad|New Mexico spadefoot toads]] (''Spea multiplicata'') only spawn half of the available eggs at a time, perhaps retaining some in case a better reproductive opportunity arises later.<ref>{{cite journal |author=Long, David R. |year=1989 |title=Energetics and reproduction in female ''Scaphiopus multiplicatus'' from Western Texas |journal=Journal of Herpetology |volume=23 |issue=2 |pages=176–179 |jstor=1564026 |doi=10.2307/1564026 }}</ref>

At the breeding site, the male mounts the female and grips her tightly round the body. Typically, [[amplexus]] takes place in the water, the female releases her eggs and the male covers them with sperm; fertilisation is [[external fertilization|external]]. In many species such as the [[Great Plains toad]] (''Bufo cognatus''), the male restrains the eggs with his back feet, holding them in place for about three minutes.<ref name=Stebbins/> Members of the West African genus ''[[Nimbaphrynoides]]'' are unique among frogs in that they are [[Viviparity|viviparous]]; ''[[Limnonectes larvaepartus]]'', ''[[Eleutherodactylus jasperi]]'' and members of the [[Tanzania]]n genus ''[[Nectophrynoides]]'' are the only frogs known to be [[Ovoviviparity|ovoviviparous]]. In these species, fertilisation is [[Internal fertilization|internal]] and females give birth to fully developed juvenile frogs, except ''L. larvaepartus'', which give birth to tadpoles.<ref name="Iskandar2014">{{Cite journal | doi = 10.1371/journal.pone.0115884| pmid = 25551466| pmc = 4281041| title = A Novel Reproductive Mode in Frogs: A New Species of Fanged Frog with Internal Fertilization and Birth of Tadpoles| journal = PLOS ONE| volume = 9| issue = 12| pages = e115884| year = 2014| last1 = Iskandar | first1 = D. T. | last2 = Evans | first2 = B. J. | last3 = McGuire | first3 = J. A. | bibcode = 2014PLoSO...9k5884I| doi-access = free}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=Amphibians of East Africa |last=Channing |first=Alan |author2=Howell, Kim M. |year=2006 |publisher=Comstock Publishing |isbn=978-0-8014-4374-9 |pages=104–117 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |author1=Sandberger, L. |author2=Hillers, A. |author3=Doumbia, J. |author4=Loua, N-S. |author5=Brede C. |author6=Rödel, M-O. |year=2010 |title=Rediscovery of the Liberian Nimba toad, ''Nimbaphrynoides liberiensis'' (Xavier, 1978) (Amphibia: Anura: Bufonidae), and reassessment of its taxonomic status |journal=Zootaxa |volume=4355 |pages=56–68 | issn=1175-5334 |url=http://www.nimbadarwin.org/resources/nimbatoad.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/http://www.nimbadarwin.org/resources/nimbatoad.pdf |archive-date=October 9, 2022 |url-status=live |doi=10.11646/zootaxa.2355.1.3 }}</ref>