Puzzling to many is the behavior of male Blanchard's Cricket Frogs! They often seek each other out, two by two, for a "partner dance" involving leg displays and tumbling.
Here are two little males I encountered yesterday along McDowell Creek:
Females lay eggs in water, and the males fertilize the eggs externally--so what these male-male interactions have to do with reproduction is not clear.
At the end of the video, one of the "dancers" goes off to start chorusing. You can see his inflated vocal sac is almost as big as he is!
Beloved herpetologist Joe Collins wrote that Cricket Frog "breeding choruses" may be misnamed, as they do not indicate that eggs have been or will be laid. They may serve some "unknown purpose," he wrote.
The interactions shown here appear more friendly and cooperative than aggressive and competitive. These two youngsters play well, politely taking turns jumping on top of each other!
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