A newly discovered frog species from Indonesia called "Limnonectes larvaepartus" is especially unique not because it has fangs but because of the way it gives birth.

Indigenous to Indonesia's Sulawesi island's rain forests, this small amphibian is the only frog species in the whole world to give birth to tadpoles, deviating from the common amphibian cycle of laying eggs, according to scientists.

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Jim McGuire from the University of California, Berkeley said frog reproduction is indeed different from human reproduction but what makes this case most interesting is the frog's reproduction mode is more similar to humans than amphibians.

The frog is usually gray or brown in color. It measures some one-half inch to one inch in length and weighs less than five grams. It belongs to the Asian group of fanged frogs whose males have two fangs that protrude from the lower jaw that are used for fighting.

These frogs live in small streams and puddles in tropical rainforests and survive by avoiding larger fanged frog species, snakes and birds that feed on them.

According to McGuire, most frogs rely on external fertilization. During mating, the male latches onto the female's waist and releases sperm when she ejects eggs into the water.

When these eggs mature and reach the tadpole larval stage, they're generally limbless. Their tails helps them navigate in the water.

Only a dozen frog species use internal fertilization, says McGuire. The rest of the frog species deposit fertilized eggs and give birth to froglets, becoming mini versions of the adults.

Female Limnonectes larvaepartus gives birth to tadpoles. Hence, its scientific name that translates into "marsh swimmer that gives birth to larvae".

McGuire's team is still baffled as to why this mode of reproduction didn't evolve in other frog species. Among other frog species that also reproduce alternatively is one that swallows its eggs and breeds them in its stomach.

Another one breeds the eggs in the male's vocal sac. Numerous species carry their tadpoles in pouches on their backs or sides.

This study was published in the online journal, PLOS ONE.

TagsFanged Indonesian Frog Gives Birth to Tadpoles Instead of Eggs, Indonesia, Sulawesi, frogs, fanged frogs, indonesia sulawesi fanged frog tadpoles eggs