Archeys frog are unique among frogs because of their interesting characteristics such as a extra vertebrae bringing their total to 9, scientists are at a loss when it comes to knowing why they have 9, yet they have. The remains of the tail muscles (the tail itself is absent in adults, although it is present in the younger frogs, who need the extra skin surface until their lungs are fully developed).
The geological effects on the Archey frog are enormous, starting with New Zealand’s Isolation, allowing them to evolve with lack of mammal predators, so they evolved in such a “safe” environment, that their young are born with a yolk sack, containing there young on the outside of their body.
The births of the Archey frog are in itself unique although the species is sexually monomorphic, males are believed to be the primary care providers, and may prepare “nests” that they guard for the eggs, and secrete antimicrobial peptides onto them, to ensure successful embryonic development. Clutch sizes vary between 3 and 10 eggs. Reproduction is fully terrestrial; tadpoles develop within gelatinous egg capsules, and upon hatching, tailed froglets crawl onto the male’s back and are carried around for several weeks. The tadpoles have a yolk sack containing their lungs on the front of their body at birth.
Adult frogs do not give advertisement vocalisations, but may communicate by chemical signalling. However, frogs sometimes give startle calls when threatened by a predator. This is unique among frogs and again scientists have not yet deduced why they have evolved in such a manner.
The Essay on Frogs 3
A Frog is a small, tail less animal that has bulging eyes. Almost all frogs have long back legs. The strong hind legs make the frog able to leap farther than the length of its body. Frogs live on every continent except Antarctica, but tropical regions have the greatest number of species. Frogs are classified as amphibians. Most amphibians, including most frogs, spend part of their life as a water ...
All frogs need a moist environment to keep their skin damp, as they breathe through their skin as well as their weak lungs. Most of NZs native frogs are more likely to be seen at night when the humidity is high, or after rain. But Archey’s frog is able to withstand substantial drying. One study showed that frogs that were dehydrated to 92% of their body weight increased hydration to 99% over four hours when placed on wet leaves. Climate change could have a profound effect on the native frog populations if it leads to dryer conditions in some areas.
A common theory is that Archeys frog is the missing link between older species of frogs and amphibians, and modern day ones, this theory is yet to be disproven, it also explains why they are in New Zealand, as with the lack of predators and New Zealand’s isolation from the rest of the world. Since New Zealand has gained mammals the population has fallen 97% It is likely that they will be extinct in the wild by 2012 because of their inability to evolve faster enough under new pressures.
