Dendrobates azureus courting and Egg Developement - Pics

[RoadRunner1083]

Those froglets look good! I really am glad you started this thread, I know I'll be referencing it in the future!

[joneill809]

Thanks Alex! I keep plugging away with these photos - it's just fascinating to watch these tads and froglets develop! Here are today's shots from the froglets. First up is the 7/31 tad, the first one to morph. It has been all over the viv for the past few days, and tonight just before lights out it was on the far left side of the viv hiding in between the leaf litter and the vivarium glass:
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The second 2 tads to morph were from a week later - the 8/7 clutch. Here is the second of this batch - it's been hanging on the right side of the vivarium near the pond area:
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And finally here is a froglet from the next clutch, 8/13. So that's 3 OOW, and a fourth that's pretty close!
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[DianeCarter]

Jim-
I noticed that your froglets have pale blue trunks/heads, and darker blue extremities. Is this common with newly
morphed azureus, or is it your "genes"?

[joneill809]

Hi Diane! Good question! These are my first froglets so it will be interesting to see how their color changes. My wife had noticed they newly morphed froglets had a greenish tint to their snouts (I'm colorblind, so it's tough for me to see), so i have a feeling they will continue to change color over time. Here is a photo of the parents that provides a relatively accurate presentation of their coloration:
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The adults are both a fairly consistent, deep blue, with fairly dense spotting. I have seen other azureus that are a much lighter blue, but our two have been consistently dark blue since we brought them home. This is what the female (recently renamed to "Sweet Frog" by my daughter) looked like when I first got her:
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I was told she was 5 months OOW - she was just larger than a dime, smaller than a nickel - but looking back, she seemed pretty small (the male was even smaller!), so I'm wondering if there was some potential confusion and if they are actually a bit younger than I thought.

I don't have good juvenile photos of the male (also renamed, now "Tweety") - he has always been less bold than the female. He was said to be about 3 months OOW when we brought him home - he was about the size of a dime. His coloration has been nearly identical to the female, except for the spot pattern. Both were consistently dark blue with smaller well formed spots.

Here's a fairly representative shot of the first tad, 1.5 weeks OOW at the time of the photo:
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So far, all three that are OOW show this coloration. It would appear the main difference between the parents at 3-5 months and these new froglets at <2 weeks OOW was the deep blue coloration and better developed spots. It will be interesting to see if (1) the spot patterns will continue to change and become more fine, and (2) if the deeper blue will continue to work it's way up from the legs to the trunk and heads. Don't worry, I'll keep the pictures coming!

[joneill809]

Got another picture of the 7/31 froglet tonight. It appears like its spots are changing rapidly, and the blues are starting to come in. This shot was tank lighting only:
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Here is the same froglet viewed from the side lit with an LED lamp:
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So part of the lighter blue is probably the intensity of the supplemental ring lamp I'm using for darker shots. I'm trying not to disturb the froglets when they are moving around in the shadows, so I tend to use the ring lamp for those shots. When they are out and about like the first shot, I'll turn off the lamp. They are all definitely starting out lighter blue and darkening.

Here is the latest froglet toying with the idea of coming out of the water:
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[Philsuma]

Again, excellent pics Jim ! And yes, most all frogs will drastically change colours and even patterns, upon growing. Great looking Tincs.

[joneill809]

These tads seem to take their first trips out of the water the hard way:
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Prepping some nicer shots now ... more to come!

[joneill809]

It looks like the two oldest froglets are working on their hunting skills. Here's one that was hopping around the leaf litter tracking down a melanogaster.
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I started using the tripod and remote trigger so I could use viv lighting only (no ring lamp) so these images are pretty true to color.

[joneill809]

"Seriously? There are like 300 leaves in this place..."
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"Alright, something keeps freakin moving up there"
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Heh - I'm sure you can come up with better captions.

I'm consistently seeing these two out and about. It's hard to tell, but I believe they are the oldest. I have two more OOW that I have not seen in a week, but I'm not disturbing the leaf litter or attempting to track them down. Hopefully they will pop out for a look topside soon!

[RoadRunner1083]

Those are some great pics! Hope the two young ones come out soon.

[DianeCarter]

It is so amazing how their colors and spots have changed so rapidly. Jim, it is so nice that you've taken the time and effort to take all these pix for us to enjoy-- Thank you!

[joneill809]

Those are some great pics! Hope the two young ones come out soon.

Seems like as soon as I mention one of these guys on a DD thread they appear the next day! Froglet #3 appeared against the front glass of the viv tonight still under the leaf litter. Looks quite plump...here's a wider shot of the froglet in the leaf litter:
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And here's a slighly blurry cropping of the same image:
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This was the alternate view of his snout that I used to confirm that it was the third froglet before I noticed the other two in a different part of the viv:
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It is so amazing how their colors and spots have changed so rapidly. Jim, it is so nice that you've taken the time and effort to take all these pix for us to enjoy-- Thank you!

It is amazing - glad I can share!

[joneill809]

Snapped this photo tonight while making my nightly photo entry to the development log. This was the first time I had a clear shot of the side of a tad. Interestingly if you expand the image to full size you can see what I think are the keradonts on the lower jaw:
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[joneill809]

The daily development log is progressing. Three tads from the 10/17 clutch continue to develop nicely.
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[joneill809]

A few more froglet pictures from today. This was the first time all four were visibly out and about. I seem to have 3 that are really bold, and one that stays in the leaf litter only to make an appearance about once a week.
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[joneill809]

The daily photo journal is now at 5 weeks! All three tads continue to progress well. Here is the thumbnail progression:
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[Philsuma]

Again, GREAT job with this Jim !!! much needed for the hobby.

[joneill809]

The preschool tad ("Hello Kitty" - named by a class vote - I think the girls won) is back home with us for the weekend since class is out. Back legs are well along and the class is patiently waiting for the front legs to emerge. Here's a shot of the tank we put together - 2.5 gallons with a floating turtle shelf. We added pictures of the parents and a size comparison chart.
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[joneill809]

Dug up a few more photos. Some were a bit blurry as the froglets were feeding when I snapped them. Some interesting stalking poses:
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[joneill809]

Week 6 of the tadpole development photo journal:
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