Lake Renacuajo Tadpole - The Young Giant by ScreenSamurai on DeviantArt (original) (raw)

Common Name:

Lake Renacuajo Tadpole

Scientific Name:

Montarana giapantagyrinos

Length:

15 to 30 centimeters from head to tail

Weight:

60-225 grams

Diet:

Algae and aquatic plants

Distribution:

Lake Renacuajo in the Nevoan Desert, South America

Lifespan:

5-6 years in the wild

Description:

In the Nevoan Desert, a lake formed after a glacier from the Andes melted and the water flowed into a large crater. This lake started to grow larger and larger over millions. Eventually, it became one of the largest lakes in South America. Researchers named it Lake Renacuajo. However, the lake’s relative isolation means that few large fish were able to make Lake Renacuajo. So, frogs were the only real aquatic vertebrates to reach the lake. The lake’s relative safety and lack of predators caused a large explosion in frog diveristy. One particular species developed a form of neoteny, where they stay as a large tadpole. This species is known as the Lake Renacuajo tadpole.
This herbivorous tadpole is sort of an anomaly when it comes to its general evolution. Most frogs, even fully aquatic frogs, still go through a full metamorphosis to reach adulthood. But, the Lake Renacuajo tadpole stays a tadpole even to sexual maturity. This netony likely results from the high amount of algae and aquatic plants in the lake. Since there were no species of herbivorous fish, these frogs were able to fill this niche in the absence of fish. Other than that there is nothing to really distinguish them from regular tadpoles, despite their large size. This large size can also be attributed to the lack of predators and large herbivorous fish.

Their most unique trait is their healing faction. Like axolotls, these tadpoles can regenerate missing limbs. This is due to its neotony because young tadpoles can regenerate their fins and legs. They may often use this ability to break off a piece of their own body to escape predators like storks and mergansers. The limb or tail will usually grow back in 150 to 180 days, but it is important that they will grow back. This healing factor also applies to tears, cuts, broken bones, and other major injuries.

P.S. Hey guys, it’s been a bit since I update the Novicene project. I’ve been focusing on FNF stuff for awhile. This piece has been done for a bit, but I haven’t got a chance to write for it. I’m more active on Twitter where I post my FNF stuff, so if you want to see more content, follow me on there.