Mayotte Madagascar frog

There are only two known species in the family of Madagascar frogs that are not found in Madagascar. These include the Mayotte Madagascar frog, which is endemic to the island of Mayotte.

This frog belongs to the genus Blommersia and differs in appearance from the other species in the genus, particularly in terms of its size – it is by far the largest. Nevertheless, it shares some characteristic features with its relatives.

This includes its breeding behaviour: unlike most frog species, the male does not cling to the female during mating. Instead, he deposits his sperm onto the eggs that have already been laid in order to fertilise them. Furthermore, the female does not lay her eggs in the water, but on leaves hanging over the water’s surface. 

Like most frogs, the Mayotte Madagascar frogs have no teeth. To hold onto their prey, they have a row of tooth-like ridges on their upper jaw. They also have two ‘teeth’ on the vomer. These are two tooth-like projections located in the frogs’ palate. These prevent the prey from escaping.

As the Mayotte Madagascar frog was only described in 2016, not much is yet known about it, such as its life span or social behaviour.