Xenopus "mating"

In my last post I stated that because frogs(Xenopus laevis) have external fertilization, there would be no frog sex pictures. Well, I was wrong! These frogs do, in fact, “mate”, but not in the way you’re used to thinking about it.

Instead of penetrating the female to inseminate her, the male instead grasps the female from behind with “nuptial pads” on his forelimbs. The female will release her eggs, and the male can then release sperm onto the eggs as they are laid. In case you’re curious, the word for this kind of psuedo-copulation is amplexus.

Orange-thighed frogs in amplexus. Image via Wikipedia.

• Egg jelly kicks sperm into gear in frogs (nittygrittyscience.com)
• Female Frog Calls Out During Sex to Excite Her Lover (livescience.com)