# Fertilized or Not Fertilized that is the question!



## 41714049 (Feb 23, 2006)

Let me know of you think this lonely egg is fertilized or not!

Took a pic when I got home and then saw the male playing around in there. After he left I took another pic and the egg looks different!

Let me know what you think!

Egg before the male got to it.









Egg after the male got to it (brought some weeds too).









Closeup comparison.


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## 41714049 (Feb 23, 2006)

Here is a 1 hour update... more changes... looks like it may be good! If it is it will be the first for this group!



















As you probably noticed I set up a tripod to capture the eggs development (assuming it is good).


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## AuratusKing (Jun 25, 2007)

what type of eggs is it??? inter. what PDF. for me its to early to tell. give it a couple days.


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## 41714049 (Feb 23, 2006)

Oh... sorry forgot to say... lets just say it is a member of the quinquevittatus family.


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## rozdaboff (Feb 27, 2005)

I have never had the chance to observe an egg so closely after fertilization. At first - when I saw your two pics - I just assumed that the male knocked the egg while in there - and that is the reason for the change in the appearance of the egg.

But after the third picture - there is a distinct change. I am not well-read on fertilization of amphibian eggs. In mammalian eggs - after fertilization, a calcium wave travels through the egg, and one of the results of this is the rising and hardening of the vitelline membrane (a block to polyspermy). 

If you did in fact catch the male fertilizing, you may be observing some sort of phenotypic change associated with events occurring immediately after fertilization.

Very cool.


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## 41714049 (Feb 23, 2006)

Another update... just as before one pic about every hour!




























Is that the start of a ridge? Please oh please! Fingers crossed!


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## rozdaboff (Feb 27, 2005)

If fertilization just happened today - it would take much longer to see the development of a ridge without a microscope. Many rounds of cell division need to take place before that.


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## 41714049 (Feb 23, 2006)

I know I know... I'm just excited as this is the first time it may be good.

HAHAHA I know I am getting a little ahead of myself.


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## jeffreyvmd (Oct 16, 2004)

*trifecta*

first, interesting amount of pictures in a short amount of time. I would definitely say you are excited about this but for some reason so am I. Could you take more pictures as the time goes on because I am extremely interested in the changes that we are seeing with each new picture. Also, what type of camera are you using and how are you getting so much light into the film canister.

Keep the picts coming and keep us posted.


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## Dancing frogs (Feb 20, 2004)

41714049 said:


> I know I know... I'm just excited as this is the first time it may be good.
> 
> HAHAHA I know I am getting a little ahead of myself.


Boy, you are dedicated!


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## sbreland (May 4, 2006)

just a thought, but you may not want to handle the can so much. There have been some that have reported (whether true or not, I don't know... see anecdotal vs fact thread) that a human scent around eggs can deter frogs from taking care of them. The male still needs to water these and besides that point, everytime you pick em up and put em down you disturb the egg and add the factor of possibly introducing pathogens. My suggestion... look in on em once a day or so... 
On a side note, when my "quinq" group frogs layed the eggs looked very similar, but almost always went bad. The first pic definitely looks like a bad egg (it also looks much older than a fresh laid egg, but if you saw em do it I guess it is), but the last few make me kinda wonder. I do think it's way too early to see the ridge forming, and maybe it's coincidence, but there is something in the middle there. If it is bad (which would be probable with those type of frogs), don't worry, at least you got em breeding. Interesting call, huh? Sounds like a creaking door. I missed mine calling for I don't know how long not knowing that what I was hearing was a call and not some sound from inside the house.


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## 41714049 (Feb 23, 2006)

Yeah they do have a funny call... quiet too. And I took all the photos from outside the tank... never touched the canister.

As for the egg... I think the other female ate it! I woke up this morning and there was just jelly.  

Maybe next time. In 1-3 months I should have a nice new frog room with room for an extra tank an I will split the group.


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## 41714049 (Feb 23, 2006)

ROUND 2

Female 2 decided to lay now! Hope this goes better!


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## Anoleo2 (Feb 1, 2006)

Wow those frogs sure do like to spread that duckweed - it's everywhere!

Keep us updated...


And awesome avatar by-the-way...


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## 41714049 (Feb 23, 2006)

I noticed that they jump in the pool once a day or so for a bout 5 seconds and get out. They never sit in the water... but somehow that duckweed gets everywhere!


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## 41714049 (Feb 23, 2006)

> first, interesting amount of pictures in a short amount of time. I would definitely say you are excited about this but for some reason so am I. Could you take more pictures as the time goes on because I am extremely interested in the changes that we are seeing with each new picture. Also, what type of camera are you using and how are you getting so much light into the film canister.


Sorry for the delayed response... I missed your post the first time. For the pics I used a Canon Rebel XTi with a Sigma 70-150 Macro mounted on a tripod with a remote shutter. As for the light I used my desk lamp and a longer exposure (thats why the tripod and remote shutter). All the pics are from outside the tank. The glass does make the pics a little hazy, but simply doing "Auto Levels" in Photoshop fixes that.


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## 41714049 (Feb 23, 2006)

Well, after the last bad batch there was almost a six month break... here we go again... fingers crossed.










Opinions?


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