Coastal Tailed Frog
Ascaphus truei
- Class
- Amphibian
- Rarity
- Common
- Observations
- 1,338
- Most observed in
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Conservation
- Least Concern
Description
The tailed frogs are two species of frogs in the genus Ascaphus, the only taxon in the family Ascaphidae . The "tail" in the name is actually an extension of the male cloaca. The tail is one of two distinctive anatomical features adapting the species to life in fast-flowing streams. These are the only North American frog species that reproduce by internal fertilization. They are among the most primitive known families of frogs. Its scientific name means 'without a spade', from the privative prefix a- and the Ancient Greek skaphís (σκαφίς, 'spade, shovel'), referring to the metatarsal spade, which these frogs do not have.
Summary adapted from the Wikipedia article “Tailed frog”.