Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
Anatomy of a wood frog tadpole (Lithobates sylvaticus) As a frog tadpole matures it gradually develops its limbs, with the back legs growing first and the front legs second. The tail is absorbed into the body using apoptosis. Lungs develop around the time as the legs start growing, and tadpoles at this stage will often swim to the surface and ...
The hairy frog is also notable in possessing retractable "claws", which it may project through the skin, apparently by intentionally breaking the bones of the toe. [5] These are not true claws, as they are made of bone, not keratin. In addition, there is a small bony nodule nestled in the tissue just beyond the frog's fingertip.
A few species deposit eggs on land or bypass the tadpole stage. Adult frogs generally have a carnivorous diet consisting of small invertebrates, but omnivorous species exist and a few feed on plant matter. Frog skin has a rich microbiome which is important to their health. Frogs are extremely efficient at converting what they eat into body mass.
Tadpoles probably spend most of their time attached to such substrates by a large oral sucker. The large, sucker-like mouth parts of the tadpoles are a second distinctive feature of the species, enabling survival in turbulent water unsuitable for other frogs. They prefer turbulent water to smooth, swiftly flowing water. [16]
The tadpole of this species is considered unpalatable to many species that would commonly predate on tadpoles. They also exhibit behaviors to avoid predation. To avoid fish, the tadpoles will move to stream margins in order to make them inaccessible to the fish. The tadpoles will also reduce activity after sensing a fish's chemical cues. [21]
The frogs were first discovered by Charles Darwin in 1834. Conservationists say that keeping a population in captivity will buy the species time while efforts are made to make their forest home ...
Before, L. limborgi was assumed to have direct development (eggs hatching as tiny, full-formed frogs), but more careful observations have shown it has free-swimming but endotrophic larvae; this probably applies to the closely related L. hascheanus, too. [6] L. larvaepartus is the only known species of frog that gives live birth to tadpoles. [4]
Scientists in Argentina have discovered excellently preserved fossil remains of the oldest-known tadpole, the larval stage of a large frog species that lived alongside dinosaurs about 161 million ...