17:05 27 May 2014 by Sandhya Sekar
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Zoologger is our weekly column highlighting extraordinary animals – and occasionally other organisms – from around the world
Species: The kumbara night frog, Nyctibatrachus kumbara
Habitat: Stream and river beds in the forests of the Western Ghats of southern India
It's good to be different. If you're a new rock band there's no point sounding like Coldplay, because Coldplay has that sound sewn up and you won't be able to compete.
It's a similar situation in frog reproduction. A newly discovered species from southern India differentiates itself in part by being the only known amphibian to coat its eggs in mud. The mud may well protect the eggs, but that is probably not the whole explanation.
The new species, called the kumbara night frog (Nyctibatrachus kumbara) is one of several frog species crammed together into a small area. That means it pays them to be as different as possible. Indeed, they are a different size to their neighbouring species, they mate differently – and they smear mud all over their developing offspring.
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