This Meghalaya frog hatches underground to outsmart the monsoon

Scientists have uncovered the remarkable breeding strategy of Kurixalus naso, a tiny high-altitude frog native to Mawsynram, Meghalaya. Unlike most amphibians that lay eggs in water, this species buries its eggs in soil and relies on seasonal monsoon rains to trigger hatching.

The groundbreaking research, published in Current Science, documents how K. naso has evolved a breeding cycle perfectly synchronised with Meghalaya's distinct wet-dry seasons. The study was conducted by PW Shangpliang from St Edmund's College Shillong, RNK Hooroo (retired professor from NEHU), and SK Dutta from Nature Environment and Wildlife Society.

Following hibernation in rock crevices during dry months, male frogs emerge with February's first pre-monsoon showers. Instead of seeking water bodies, they dig small burrows on the forest floor and call for mates. After 5-6 hour mating embrace, females lay eggs directly into these earthen chambers before departing.

The male frog then exhibits rarely documented parental behaviour by carefully pushing the eggs toward the soil surface and mixing them with dirt.

The eggs remain dormant for 8-15 days until heavy rainfall floods the burrows - a critical environmental trigger that initiates hatching. Perhaps most surprising, when K. naso tadpoles finally emerge, they've already reached Gosner stage 25, meaning their gills have completely disappeared before they ever encounter water.

This adaptation raises significant biological questions about gill function during embryonic development and represents a highly specialised evolutionary response to Meghalaya's unique climate.

Scientists warn this breeding strategy could make K. naso particularly vulnerable to climate change. With its reproductive cycle entirely dependent on predictable rainfall patterns, disruptions to monsoon timing could threaten the species' survival. Consequently, the frog might serve as an important indicator species for monitoring climate shifts in the region.