mature so that at the time of hatching, it has a greater chance of surviving on land, as tadpoles need water to survive. Clutch sizes typically range between 4 to 20 eggs. Mating Within its territory, males produce mating calls between the times of 6 AM and 7 PM. Their calls are typically short in duration and high in frequency, averaging about 5 calls per second. One study found call notes last for about 90 ms, with frequencies ranging from 800 to 3000 Hz. The most common frequencies occurred from the ranges of 1750 to 1950 Hz and 2300 to 2450 Hz. Males usually call from elevated perches to be better heard and seen when heard. A study published in 2014 suggests that because of the brightly-colored aposematism frogs like O. sylvatica present, they use this protection from predators to their advantage by evolving more diverse, distinctive, and complex mating calls. Once a female is attracted to a male's territory, they engage in a series of mating behaviors, including pursuing and circling each other, crouching, and touching. During this ritual, the male leads the female to a suitable location for laying her eggs. At the end of the mating ritual, copulation occurs without amplexus. Rather, the male deposits his sperm on the ground first, and then the female lays her eggs down after. Parental care Once the eggs are fertilized, the males bear the majority of the caretaking responsibility of the eggs. He typically visits the clutch several times each day and secretes fluids onto the eggs to prevent desiccation, as they are laid on land. Closer to the time of hatching, females will visit the clutch more frequently. It is essential for the parent to be present when the eggs hatch, so the tadpoles can be transported to water. Without transportation the tadpoles cannot survive, making it of the utmost importance that the parents are present when the eggs hatch. Once the eggs hatch, tadpole transport and care becomes solely the female’s responsibility, without interaction or cooperation from the father. As suggested by their name, Oophaga, which translates to “egg” and “eat”, tadpoles only consume the trophic eggs produced by their mother until they are old enough to go through metamorphosis. It has been suggested that the toxin's presence in oocytes serve to provide offspring with toxic defense mechanisms early on, when they are growing and still depend on