This article is about the Batura toad, a Pakistani amphibian that has an extremely unique way of reproducing. They do not have the common two copies of genes; they have three instead. Their genes are carried on three sets of chromosomes. The Batura toad parents carry two separate genomes. These can be inherited in two distinct ways: one can get muddled up with the mate’s and the other makes a clone of itself. This means that the offspring are partly a clone of the parent and partly a product of normal sexual reproduction. These are called triploid animals and usually have genetic problems, such as mutations, making the survival of these frogs surprising. The Batura toad had to pass on their three copies of their genes somehow; why not clone?
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