Guwahati, March 19: Most frogs are drawn to water when it’s time to breed—but not Kurixalus naso, a tiny high-altitude frog found in Mawsynram, Meghalaya. Instead of laying its eggs in ponds, streams, or foam nests, this elusive species buries its eggs in the soil, disguising them like seeds, and waits for the heavens to open before its young emerge.

Now, a study published in Current Science has revealed the astonishing breeding secrets of K. naso, a species that defies conventional amphibian life cycles. Unlike most frogs that rely on standing water for their eggs to hatch, K. naso has evolved a rare, high-stakes strategy—one that depends entirely on the timing of Meghalaya’s seasonal rains.

The study was done by P.W. Shangpliang  St Edmund’s College Shillong, RNK Hooroo retired professor NEHU and S K Dutta associated with Nature Environment and Wildlife Society, Angul and a retired Professor of Utkal University.

After spending the cold, dry months hibernating in rock crevices, male K. naso frogs descend to the forest floor as soon as the first pre-monsoon showers arrive in February. But instead of seeking out water, they gather around moist patches of soil, where they begin calling for mates from small burrows they dig into the earth.

Once a female selects a mate, the pair undergo amplexus (the frog mating embrace), which lasts for 5–6 hours. Then, the female lays her eggs—not in water, but deep within these burrows. The moment she’s done, she disappears, leaving the male behind.

In a behavior rarely seen in amphibians, the male takes charge of the eggs. Using his hind limbs, he carefully pushes the eggs closer to the surface, mixing them with the soil. This unusual technique may serve two purposes: camouflaging the eggs to reduce predation and maintaining the right level of moisture.

“The way these frogs hide their eggs is incredibly unique,” explains lead researcher P.W. Shangpliang lead researcher from St Edmund’s College Shillong. “By blending them with the soil, they may be mimicking seeds, making them harder for predators to detect.”

For the next 8–15 days, the eggs lie buried in the ground, seemingly suspended in time. And then, the sky takes over.

Unlike most frog eggs, which hatch soon after being laid, K. naso’s offspring wait. They will not hatch unless the burrow is flooded by heavy rain—a remarkable adaptation to Meghalaya’s extreme seasonal weather.

“This species has perfectly adapted to Meghalaya’s wet-dry cycle,” says co-author RNK Horoo retired professor of NEHU.. “The tadpoles don’t risk drying out in stagnant pools because they only hatch when there’s enough water.”

But the surprises don’t stop there. When K. naso tadpoles finally emerge from their burrows, they are already at Gosner stage 25, meaning their gills have completely disappeared. In most frogs, gills are essential for breathing underwater during early development—yet K. naso’s tadpoles have absorbed their gills before they even touch water.

This delayed hatching mechanism raises a major biological mystery: what role did the gills play while the tadpoles were still inside the egg jelly?

“The delayed hatching of Kurixalus naso tadpoles at Gosner stage 25, when the gills have already disappeared, raises intriguing questions about the role of these gills,” Shangpliang remarked. “Typically, gills are essential for respiration in aquatic environments during early development, yet their function remains unclear when the tadpoles hatch after the gills have been absorbed. This unusual timing of hatching prompts researchers to explore the possible roles of gills while still encased in the egg jelly. Such discoveries could shed light on unique physiological adaptations of the species and open new avenues for understanding the evolutionary strategies of amphibians in the state of Meghalaya.”

As fascinating as this breeding strategy is, it comes with one major risk—K. naso relies entirely on predictable rainfall. With climate change disrupting monsoon patterns, what happens if the rains arrive too late? Eggs could dry out before they hatch. If the rains arrive too early, tadpoles might not have enough time to develop properly, making them vulnerable to predators.

“The entire reproductive cycle of K. naso depends on predictable rain,” Shangpliang warns. “If that changes, so does their survival.”

Because of its extreme dependence on seasonal rainfall, K. naso could become a climate indicator species, signaling shifts in Meghalaya’s monsoon patterns. Protecting its breeding habitats—the small patches of damp forest floor where these frogs lay their eggs—will be crucial for the species’ survival.

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