The males mount on the females' backs. They hold the females with their front limbs in a grip called amplexus. The males are very enthusiastic. They will try to grasp fish or inanimate objects and often mount on the backs of other males. Sometimes several toads form a heap, each male trying to grasp the female at the base. It is a stressful period and deaths are high among breeding toads. A successful male stays in amplexus for several days. The female lays a long, double string of small black eggs. He fertilises them with his sperm. The egg strings may have 3,000 to 6,000 eggs and be in length. They get tangled in plant stalks.