India has taught me the "art of surprise." Just when I think I've seen everything, a man hovers over a ditch and poops on a main road right in front of me. A dog runs across a road with "innards" in its mouth. Or a pastor burps unapologetically in the microphone during his sermon and never blinks an eye. I've seen prosthetic legs with toe rings drilled in to them, a family of 5 on one scooter, dogs with softball-size tumors hanging from abdomens, and paralyzed people dragging themselves across the burning hot concrete begging for money. Some days, I'm sure I've uncovered every possible surprising sight. Many times the scenes are tragic, hard to swallow, things I want to forget. But sometimes, God lays out His miracles for us to marvel at and gives us moments of peace in the midst of chaos.
One of our 'get-away spots' in Bhopal is a local hotel where we have a pool membership. Now that monsoon season is underway, our sunny days are scarce. So yesterday when the sun peeked out, the boys and I headed to the pool to catch a few rays and enjoy the cool water. The last few times we've been, we've seen a certain toad and even spotted her swimming a few times. So I wasn't surprised to see her yesterday. But I was surprised to see "her baby" on her back.
I stopped to take a closer look and then I saw it- a huge mass of eggs behind the toad.
I knew the boys would love it so I called them over. They were AMAZED. And then they started conversing with each other about what they were seeing: "Where are those eggs coming from?" "Are they stuck to her legs?" "I don't think so. I think they are coming from her booty." "Her booty?!?!" "Oooooooo... her booty!" "Mama, how does she do that?" So here's my question- how do all great animal moments turn in to random questions about reproduction?
Honestly, I didn't answer them- not because I didn't want to, but because I knew nothing about toads and the way in which they lay eggs. So here's your lesson of toad reproduction.
Female toads lay their eggs in the spring, and she can lay around 2000-3000 of them. The eggs will be laid in water. But here's the part I didn't know. "The baby" on her back in the picture above is actually her man. And as she lays the egg, he fertilizes them.
One of our 'get-away spots' in Bhopal is a local hotel where we have a pool membership. Now that monsoon season is underway, our sunny days are scarce. So yesterday when the sun peeked out, the boys and I headed to the pool to catch a few rays and enjoy the cool water. The last few times we've been, we've seen a certain toad and even spotted her swimming a few times. So I wasn't surprised to see her yesterday. But I was surprised to see "her baby" on her back.
I stopped to take a closer look and then I saw it- a huge mass of eggs behind the toad.
I knew the boys would love it so I called them over. They were AMAZED. And then they started conversing with each other about what they were seeing: "Where are those eggs coming from?" "Are they stuck to her legs?" "I don't think so. I think they are coming from her booty." "Her booty?!?!" "Oooooooo... her booty!" "Mama, how does she do that?" So here's my question- how do all great animal moments turn in to random questions about reproduction?
Honestly, I didn't answer them- not because I didn't want to, but because I knew nothing about toads and the way in which they lay eggs. So here's your lesson of toad reproduction.
Female toads lay their eggs in the spring, and she can lay around 2000-3000 of them. The eggs will be laid in water. But here's the part I didn't know. "The baby" on her back in the picture above is actually her man. And as she lays the egg, he fertilizes them.
The eggs are covered with a jelly-like substance. I touched it so I can attest to the fact that it is slimy and jelly-like. They are much like a string of black pearls covered in slime.
If all goes well, the eggs could hatch into tadpoles in about 10 days, and from tadpoles to toads. However, I'm secretly hoping this sweet mama finds a new place to lay eggs and that maybe the thousands that she laid yesterday won't turn into tadpoles. As much as I enjoyed watching this awesome act of nature, I'm not thrilled about the idea of swimming with 2000 tadpoles!
So there you have it- the egg-laying process of a toad. Maybe your life isn't as crazy as mine. Maybe simple things like this lack luster for you. But for me- it was exactly what I needed. A HUGE reminder that even amidst the chaos of my life, beautiful, wonderful things are happening ALL around me!
(All photos were taken with my iPhone. Who needs expensive macro-lenses?)
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