Frogs come in many forms, not all of which sit on a lily pad and croak. Some can be found living with strange roommates, while others use weird natural weaponry or acrobatics to survive. Check out...
1. The Frog With a Deadly BehindBy appearing to be a dangerous predator, some creatures can make an attacker give things a second thought. The Cuyaba dwarf frog can inflate its rump in response to a threat, blowing up each cheek to display large dark spots resembling an eye. The overall effect resembles the head of a snake - and many predators that would chomp on a frog would back away from a waiting serpent.
Should a predator decide to take a bite, it will receive a mouthful of toxin secreted from just below the eyespots. Though not deadly to humans, each frog carries enough poison to kill around 150 mice!
That isn't the only strange thing about this amphibian - it can produce claws by breaking bones and punching the resulting spikes through the skin. These improvised blades are quite vicious—frog hunters in Cameroon use spears to avoid them. The frog seems to suffer no ill effects from this dramatic quick draw - the blades retract and allow the wounds to heal when the frog relaxes!
Tarantulas are more than capable of eating frogs, but they don't treat the dotted humming frog as a meal. Instead they allow them to share their burrow - the frog repays the favor by eating any ants that menace the tarantula's eggs!
4. The Goliath FrogThough some frogs are tiny, others are really quite large. Enter the goliath frog, an amphibian that can grow as large as a housecat.
Growing from tadpoles no larger than those of a regular frog, these beasts can hit 32cm in length and 3.3kg in weight with an appetite to match. Though they eat the same kinds of food as any other frog, one was found to have the carcass of a bat in its stomach. The tadpoles are a lot more picky - they only eat Dicraeia warmingii, an aquatic plant found near the banks of swift rivers or near waterfalls.
Goliath frogs are terrible caregivers - the males build rocky nests for females to lay eggs in. Then both frogs wander off - there's no attempt to guard the developing eggs. This (coupled with the fact that they make a good meal for a hungry human hunter) may explain their endangered status.
The frog is thought to hunt mites and other tiny insects it finds crawling through the leaf litter it calls home. Their tiny size means that they can happily feast on prey most animals wouldn't even notice.
When it wants to travel between trees, the frog springs from a branch with splayed feet. Membranes between the toes and down the side of the amphibian act as a parachute, allowing the frog to glide as far as 50ft. Large toe pads allow the frog to catch hold of a branch or trunk at the end of the glide.
Vertebrates rely on fluid in their inner ear canals to help them balance, but the pumpkin toadlet has the smallest inner ear canal ever found. Once airborne, the frog can't orient itself, which results in a comedic tumble and crash landing. On the plus side, it has heavy bone plates protecting the head and back from impact - and anything trying to eat one can expect a mouthful of lethal tetrodotoxin!
8. The Biting, Screaming Budgett’s FrogOne of the most daft-looking animals out there, Budgett's frog appears to be all mouth. Despite their goofy appearance, these frogs are intelligent and aggressive. If they feel threatened, they'll stand on their hind legs and puff up. If this doesn't elicit a retreat, they'll shriek and lunge forwards to bite. Though they don't have teeth, sharp sections of bone on the jaw serve the same purpose.
When not terrifying unwary biologists, Budgett's frog hunts other amphibians for food during the rainy season. In dry conditions, it grows layers of skin that act as a cocoon and hides in a pool-bottom burrow.
If threatened, these frogs can blow up like balloons, making them seem more intimidating and potentially wedging themselves into a burrow. This means that any predator faces the demanding task of dragging them out if they want dinner!
The frog survives using a waxy lipid secretion that coats it and wipes across itself. This prevents water loss through evaporation, allowing it to withstand conditions that should be lethal. Even stranger, the secretions contain dermorphin. This opioid painkiller is around 30–40 times as strong as morphine and is used as a performance-enhancing drug in horse racing!
- The Frog With a Deadly Behind
- The Hairy Frog With Wolverine Claws
- The Frog With a Tarantula Roommate
- The Goliath Frog
- The Tiniest Vertebrate
- The Frog That Flies Between Trees
- The Unbalanced Pumpkin Toadlet
- The Biting, Screaming Budgett's Frog
- The Burrowing Black Rain Frog
- The Waxy Monkey Tree Frog
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| Frogs come in many varieties... (wolfie-999) |
1. The Frog With a Deadly BehindBy appearing to be a dangerous predator, some creatures can make an attacker give things a second thought. The Cuyaba dwarf frog can inflate its rump in response to a threat, blowing up each cheek to display large dark spots resembling an eye. The overall effect resembles the head of a snake - and many predators that would chomp on a frog would back away from a waiting serpent.
Should a predator decide to take a bite, it will receive a mouthful of toxin secreted from just below the eyespots. Though not deadly to humans, each frog carries enough poison to kill around 150 mice!
2. The Hairy Frog With Wolverine Claws
You wouldn't expect a frog to be hairy - and technically, this one isn't. The bristle patches that develop on the legs of the male hairy frog are actually skin. These thin strands have a blood supply and may help the animal draw oxygen from water - the male spends days at a time underwater guarding eggs.That isn't the only strange thing about this amphibian - it can produce claws by breaking bones and punching the resulting spikes through the skin. These improvised blades are quite vicious—frog hunters in Cameroon use spears to avoid them. The frog seems to suffer no ill effects from this dramatic quick draw - the blades retract and allow the wounds to heal when the frog relaxes!
3. The Frog With a Tarantula Roommate
Frogs are not the most intimidating of creatures. Usually lacking an exoskeleton or serious offensive weaponry, most rely on poison or stealth to survive. The dotted humming frog takes a different approach; it makes friends with a tarantula.Tarantulas are more than capable of eating frogs, but they don't treat the dotted humming frog as a meal. Instead they allow them to share their burrow - the frog repays the favor by eating any ants that menace the tarantula's eggs!
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| Would you want this as a roommate? (Mike_68) |
4. The Goliath FrogThough some frogs are tiny, others are really quite large. Enter the goliath frog, an amphibian that can grow as large as a housecat.
Growing from tadpoles no larger than those of a regular frog, these beasts can hit 32cm in length and 3.3kg in weight with an appetite to match. Though they eat the same kinds of food as any other frog, one was found to have the carcass of a bat in its stomach. The tadpoles are a lot more picky - they only eat Dicraeia warmingii, an aquatic plant found near the banks of swift rivers or near waterfalls.
Goliath frogs are terrible caregivers - the males build rocky nests for females to lay eggs in. Then both frogs wander off - there's no attempt to guard the developing eggs. This (coupled with the fact that they make a good meal for a hungry human hunter) may explain their endangered status.
5. The Tiniest Vertebrate
Frogs come in a wide variety of sizes, but Paedophryne amauensis stands out - it's thought to be the smallest vertebrate in the world. The tiny amphibians are around the same size as a fly, averaging 7.7mm in length. To put that in perspective, one could easily fit on your fingernail.The frog is thought to hunt mites and other tiny insects it finds crawling through the leaf litter it calls home. Their tiny size means that they can happily feast on prey most animals wouldn't even notice.
6. The Frog That Flies Between Trees
Found in the rainforests of Malaysia and Borneo, Wallace's flying frog lives an almost entirely arboreal life - it only comes to the ground to mate and lay eggs.When it wants to travel between trees, the frog springs from a branch with splayed feet. Membranes between the toes and down the side of the amphibian act as a parachute, allowing the frog to glide as far as 50ft. Large toe pads allow the frog to catch hold of a branch or trunk at the end of the glide.
7. The Unbalanced Pumpkin Toadlet
The pumpkin toadlet is (despite the name) a bright-orange frog found in Brazil. It is also a terrible gymnast. While most frogs leap with calculated grace, the toadlet spins, cartwheels and flops before thumping down like a custard pie.Vertebrates rely on fluid in their inner ear canals to help them balance, but the pumpkin toadlet has the smallest inner ear canal ever found. Once airborne, the frog can't orient itself, which results in a comedic tumble and crash landing. On the plus side, it has heavy bone plates protecting the head and back from impact - and anything trying to eat one can expect a mouthful of lethal tetrodotoxin!
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| Some frogs are good climbers... (Naum_Kostovski) |
When not terrifying unwary biologists, Budgett's frog hunts other amphibians for food during the rainy season. In dry conditions, it grows layers of skin that act as a cocoon and hides in a pool-bottom burrow.
9. The Burrowing Black Rain Frog
The black rain frog is a nocturnal amphibian from the Cape Mountains in South Africa. Resembling an ambulatory avocado with a permanently grumpy face, it cannot jump or swim - instead, it burrows tunnels that serve as a home. Unusually for frogs, the females don't lay eggs in water - they make shallow nests underground and guard them.If threatened, these frogs can blow up like balloons, making them seem more intimidating and potentially wedging themselves into a burrow. This means that any predator faces the demanding task of dragging them out if they want dinner!
10. The Waxy Monkey Tree Frog
Most frogs would wither and die in the hot sun...not so the waxy monkey tree frog, a creature with natural moisturizer. The "monkey" part of the name comes from a set of prehensile hands with opposable thumbs. This lets the frog walk along branches rather than hopping.The frog survives using a waxy lipid secretion that coats it and wipes across itself. This prevents water loss through evaporation, allowing it to withstand conditions that should be lethal. Even stranger, the secretions contain dermorphin. This opioid painkiller is around 30–40 times as strong as morphine and is used as a performance-enhancing drug in horse racing!
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