BELGIUM/INDIA/US – A scientific discovery has recently revealed that are no longer only six, but seven positions that more than 7,000 species of frogs use to copulate.

One of the main features of the study, published in the journal PeerJ, is that the female is calling the male; something that only happens to 0.5% of frogs.

For 40 nights the researchers observed the behavior of a population of amphibians called ”Nyctibatrachus humayuni”. Males were easily located by their sounds, while females who were harder to find, more often found by chance.

Sex was determined by the presence of femoral glands in males and their absence in females. When it was observed that a female approached the male, they began filming the event using a camera with infrared function, not to disturb the animals or affect their behaviour.

The observation led to the discovery that the male stands astride for about thirteen minutes on the female and ejaculated on her back, instead of waiting to put the eggs to fertilize them.

Once semen is deposited, the male is removed and that is when the female lays eggs and stretches its hind legs; the sperm is let to slide down its back until it fell on the eggs, fertilizing them.

Statistics show that amphibians are one of the most endangered animal groups, with nearly 2,000 endangered species in need to reproduce.