Eungella Gastric-brooding Frog

"The northern gastric-brooding frog was found exclusively in undisturbed rainforest in Eungella National Park, mid-east Queensland, Australia. . . . It is assumed that the female swallowed fertilised eggs or embryonic tadpoles. The tadpoles complete their development in the female's stomach (gastric-brooding). In the only documented case, 22 metamorphs were brooded in the stomach of one female. Upon collection the stomach of the female was reported to be greatly distended and during road transport the individual began to give birth. The birth lasted approximately 34 hours. The young were born under water, though it is not known whether this underwater birth was a natural phenomenon or a consequence of the conditions in which the female was held. . . . Despite continued efforts to locate the species, the northern gastric-brooding frog has not been recorded within Eungella National Park or any other location since March 1985."