Question

Which is the main reason toads must lay eggs in water?

A. The eggs do not have a shell to prevent water loss.
B. The eggs need to absorb nutrients from water.
C. The eggs are not laid in nests.
D. The eggs need protection from predators.

Answer 1

The answer is A. The eggs do not have a shell to prevent water loss.

Toad's eggs do not have a shell, like reptile eggs or bird eggs. Shell is important because it protects eggs from drying out if they are laid in the land. Toads lay eggs in a jelly-like glycoprotein. Thanks to glycoprotein around toad's eggs, contact with water is maintained all the time so that eggs don't die.