This Frog Turned Its Stomach Into a Womb — Then Vanished

Added: 2026-05-23

[00:00:00]A frog once swallowed its own eggs, chemically switched off its stomach acid, and gave birth through its mouth.

[00:00:07]Scientists watched it happen, and then the species vanished forever.

[00:00:12]The gastric brooding frog, discovered in Australia in 1974, [music] swallowed its fertilized eggs whole.

[00:00:19]Once inside the stomach, the embryos released a hormone called prostaglandin E2 that completely shut down the mother's gastric acid [music] production, turning her stomach into a living nursery for up to 6 weeks.

[00:00:32]She never ate for the entire 6 weeks.

[00:00:35]Her stomach stretched so large it compressed her lungs, so she breathed entirely through her skin.

[00:00:41]When the froglets were ready, she gave birth by vomiting up to 25 [music] fully formed babies, one by one, over several days.

[00:00:50]Scientists believe that same acid [music] suppression trick could revolutionize treatment for human stomach ulcers.

[00:00:57]They were racing to decode it [music] when the last known