Reproduction
Spring Peeper Reproductive Organs
The female spring peeper has two sexual organs, which are the ovaries and the oviducts. The ovaries produce and store eggs and the oviducts are tubes that the eggs pass through as they leave the female's body.
The male spring peeper has three sexual organs, which are the testes, the urine ducts, and the cloaca. The testes is where sperm is produced, the urine ducts carry sperm as well as urine to the cloaca, and the cloaca is where the sperm and urine leave the frog's body.
The sex chromosomes haploid number in frogs is 26.
The male spring peeper has three sexual organs, which are the testes, the urine ducts, and the cloaca. The testes is where sperm is produced, the urine ducts carry sperm as well as urine to the cloaca, and the cloaca is where the sperm and urine leave the frog's body.
The sex chromosomes haploid number in frogs is 26.
The Breeding Process
Both the male and female spring peeper frog reach sexual maturity at approximately one year of age. Breeding season occurs between February and June, depending on when sexual maturity is reached. At that time, male spring peepers migrate to a nearby water source where they begin making a specific calling sound. The females respond to the call by migrating toward the males, usually selecting a mate with the loudest and quickest peeping sound.
Once a female has selected a mate, they enter the water where the frogs move into a position called amplexus. In the amplexus position, the male is on the female's back and "clasps his forelegs around her middle." The pressure caused by the clasping motion triggers the female to release eggs, one at a time. The male then releases sperm onto the eggs, fertilizing the eggs outside the female's body. After approximately ten minutes, the breeding process is complete, and the female has laid between 700 and 1300 eggs.
Once a female has selected a mate, they enter the water where the frogs move into a position called amplexus. In the amplexus position, the male is on the female's back and "clasps his forelegs around her middle." The pressure caused by the clasping motion triggers the female to release eggs, one at a time. The male then releases sperm onto the eggs, fertilizing the eggs outside the female's body. After approximately ten minutes, the breeding process is complete, and the female has laid between 700 and 1300 eggs.
Eggs are laid onto vegetation that is submerged under water. The eggs lie in rows and are clustered together, which is different from most frogs who lay eggs in an attached strand or clumps massed together. Each egg has a "jelly coat" or yolk surrounding it which provides nourishment, and the jelly coat expands with water as a way of protecting the egg.
Development
Within 3-12 hours, depending on the temperature, the eggs will undergo the first "cleavage," or division which will continue for 3-4 days. While tadpoles usually hatch from their eggs within four days, hatching may take up to two weeks due to cooler weather. By day 10 of development, the tadpoles have grown internal gills for breathing and use their tails for swimming. Sixty days later, the hind legs appear on the tadpole, and by day 84 forelimbs have developed. Soon after, the tail disappears and the tadpole emerges from the water as a young frog having developed lungs for breathing air. This transformation process is called metamorphosis, and when it is complete adult tadpoles will be slightly smaller than they were as tadpoles because of the loss of their tails.