Darwin's frog

But no, worldwide amphibians take an astonishing variety of different approaches to producing and raising the next generation.

And one of the most dramatic outliers with a very distinctive approach to parenthood is a frog that not only bears Darwin's name – Darwin's frog, Rhinoderma darwinii – but as a species he was the first Western naturalist to ever record during his voyage on the HMS Beagle.

Darwin's Menagerie Part 2 Frog Fatherhood By late 1834, HMS Beagle, with Charles Darwin aboard, had rounded the southern tip of South America and was working its way up the coast of southern Chile.

As wild and spectacular a bit of the world as you could ever hope to see.

Throat, breast and cheeks Rich chestnut brown with snow-white marks Thighs of hinder legs Blackish with same marks Legs yellowish Also with same marks Upper side Pale iron rust colour With posterior parts of body Thighs and anterior marks Beautiful bright green Appearance very pretty and curious, nose finely pointed.

Inhabits thick and gloomy forest, island of Namui.

This is the first scientific record of the species now known as Rhinoderma darwinii, Darwin's frog, or, to be more precise, for reasons we'll get to later, the southern Darwin's frog, a small frog mostly restricted to Valdivian forests in the southern half of Chile and some little bits of neighbouring Argentina.

Darwin would later, once he'd seen a few more examples of this frog, add to his notes to say, This species is excessively common in the forests of Valdivia, seems subject in its colours to remarkable variations.