Can one frog reproduce?

[Iknewthat]

I have one water frog in a tank. We have not had another frog in there for about five years. The other day we noticed about twenty tadpoles in the tank. Is it possible for one frog to reproduce on its own?

[ashleigh87]

It depends on the type of frog, don't qoute me but I think some species are hermaphrodites. Snails are also hermaphrodites and they can produce offspring on their own, so i don't see why a frog couldn't.

[lugus]

I don't know of any hermaphroditic amphibians but hermaprodites still need two individuals to reproduce, it's just that they are the same sex. There is a proccess called 'parthenogenesis' in which females are born pregnant but as far as I know, this is limited to certain insects (aphids and certain species of stick insect) and I've never heard of it occuring in a frog. Could you be more specific about the type of frog and the tank in which it's kept?

[wildwood]

It is very strange. One certainly need two frogs of opposing gender to boogey, in order to get taddies.

Is it possible that someone is playing a practical joke on you and has chucked some spawn in the tank?

[gen2]

I am not sure about frogs, but this certainly happens with some reptiles. Last summer I read a report of a Komodo Dragon on a zoo reproducing this way after several years without a mate. I'll try and see If I can find a reference to that report.

[gen2]

Here is the komodo dragon story. It appears there were two of them - at London and Chester zoos.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/artic le759338.ece

[gen2]

Hi Tessa, I've just found your similar question on Yahoo Answers where you gave the additional information about the water frog being a variety of African Clawed Frog.

I also see that someone else also remembered the komodo dragon event and indicated that it is not impossible in frogs. Don't get misled by suggestions of hermaphrodites because usually, if such individuals are able to reproduce, you still need two individuals to fertilise each other and both then go on to have young.

My googling has thrown up some reports of parthenogenisis in ACFs but those were artificially induced. Other sites would indicate that partenogenisis is definitely a possibility in frogs.

I found a report that arthenogenesis is common in plants, moderately common in invertebrate animals, and occasionally reported in fish, frogs and lizards.

[emevol69]

In the movie Jurassic Park doesnt it talk about a species of frog that can reproduce by itself