The Foam-Nesting Frog

Engystomops, commonly known as the foam frog for the nests it builds

Matthew 7:7
"Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:"

Many animals love to eat frog tadpoles. If that situation was not difficult enough for the frog, some frogs live in areas where their pond is dry most of the time, preventing them from ever laying eggs.

The African foam-nesting frog has been given a unique solution to these obstacles by the Creator. During the mating season, a group of female frogs will climb to a branch that overhangs their pond. They then secrete a mucus on the branch. As many as forty of them will join in kicking madly until they have worked the gooey stuff into a foam that sticks to the branch. Once the foam nest is complete, the frogs lay their eggs in it and return to their pond. The nest not only hides the developing young, but as it hardens on the outside, it seals moisture in with them.

These young frogs hatch quickly and after only three or four days the young frogs are already wiggling their way through the shell of the nest and drop into the pond below.

The intelligent strategy of this arrangement shows us how the Creator cares for the needs of His creatures. To explain this amazing survival behavior by evolution really takes a huge leap of faith. What frog would be clever enough to think of such an ingenious plan?

Photo: Courtesy of DuSantos. (CC-BY-SA 2.0)
Creation Moments, Inc., P.O. Box 839, Foley, MN 56329 www.creationmoments.com

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