 With a few exceptions , frogs use external fertilisation . The male grasps the female tightly with his forelimbs either behind the arms or in front of the back legs , or in the case of Epipedobates tricolor , around the neck . They remain in amplexus with their cloacae positioned close together while the female lays the eggs and the male covers them with sperm . Roughened nuptial pads on the male 's hands aid in retaining grip . Often the male collects and retains the egg mass , forming a sort of basket with the hind feet . An exception is the granular poison frog ( Oophaga granulifera ) where the male and female place their cloacae in close proximity while facing in opposite directions and then release eggs and sperm simultaneously . The tailed frog ( Ascaphus truei ) exhibits internal fertilisation . The " tail " is only possessed by the male and is an extension of the cloaca and used to inseminate the female . This frog lives in fast @-@ flowing streams and internal fertilisation prevents the sperm from being washed away before fertilisation occurs . The sperm may be retained in storage tubes attached to the oviduct until the following spring . 
