Amphibians, features and articles | Educational Science

Aug 9, 2019

World's Largest Frogs Can Move Rocks Half Their Weight ... for Their Wee Pollywogs

The world's largest frogs may also have the best pollywog daycare on the market. To protect its wee tadpoles, these enormous amphibians build their own nursery ponds, sometimes moving rocks more than half their weight to do so, and then guarding the pond to ensure the next generation's survival, a...

Mar 27, 2020

Frogs' skulls are more bizarre (and beautiful) than you ever imagined

Frogs' heads may look smooth and rounded on their surfaces, but peek under the skin of some species and you'll find skulls that resemble the heads of mythical dragons, studded with spikes, spines and other bony structures. Scientists recently highlighted the diversity of frog skulls in a series of incredible...

Aug 3, 2020

After being swallowed alive, water beetle stages 'backdoor' escape from frog's gut

Being swallowed alive by a frog is a death sentence for most insects, but one beetle species shrugs off being digested and instead finds freedom by sneaking out through its captor's anus. When the pond frog Pelophylax nigromaculatus was presented with the aquatic beetle Regimbartia attenuata, it quickly snapped up...

Feb 25, 2021

Snakes insert their heads into living frogs' bodies to swallow their organs (because nature is horrifying)

For knife-toothed kukri snakes, the tastiest parts of a frog are its organs, preferably sliced out of the body cavity and eaten while the frog is still alive. After observing this grisly habit for the first time in Thailand, scientists have spotted two more kukri snake species that feast on...

Nov 6, 2021

Poison dart frogs: Facts about the beautiful but deadly amphibians

Poison dart frogs are small, brightly colored amphibians that live on tropical rainforest floors across Central and South America. They are members of the family Dendrobatidae, and there are more than 175 known species, according to San Francisco Zoo. Poison dart frogs are tiny, measuring just 1 to 2 inches...

Jan 29, 2022

Frogs regrow amputated legs in breakthrough experiment

Scientists have regrown frogs' amputated legs after giving them a cocktail of drugs encased in a silicon stump. African clawed frogs (Xenopus laevis) are like humans in that they can't naturally regrow lost limbs. In the new study, researchers successfully coaxed the frogs to grow replacement limbs in 18 months...

Apr 30, 2022

Newfound species of wee frogs found in Mexico can fit on your fingertip

Six newly-described species of miniature frogs from Mexico and Guatemala are so tiny that each can fit comfortably on a human thumbnail. Two of the species are smaller than 0.7 inches (18 millimeters) long, and the tiniest of them — Craugastor candelariensis — is Mexico's smallest frog, measuring no more...

May 19, 2022

Crypto organization names newfound glass frog species — here’s why that's concerning

A pair of newfound species of glass frog — amphibians with transparent underbellies that put all their internal organs on display — have been discovered in Ecuador. But the naming of one of the species has triggered controversy. One of the new species has been, Hyalinobatrachium nouns, is lime-green on...

Aug 23, 2022

Frogs: The largest group of amphibians

Frogs and toads make up the largest group of amphibians. Species in this order, called Anura, substantially outnumber those in the two other living orders of amphibians — Caudata (salamanders) and Gymnophiona (caecilians). As of August 2022, Anura had 7,486 of the 8,478 known amphibian species, according to Amphibian Species...

Sep 2, 2022

Adorable 'chocolate frog' discovered in crocodile-infested swamp

With big, cartoonish eyes, a coy cheek-to-cheek grin and skin like milk chocolate, this frog is so adorable you could just eat him up. The scientists who discovered it in the swamps of New Guinea were apparently thinking the same thing; they've nicknamed it the chocolate frog. This candy-colored amphibian,...

Oct 12, 2022

Chernobyl radiation set off black frog surge while green frogs 'croaked.' Evolution explains why.

Near-black frogs far outnumber their highlighter-yellow fellows in Chernobyl's radiation-blasted ecosystems, in a direct example of evolution in action, a new study shows. The study, published Aug. 29 in the journal Evolutionary Applications, found that eastern tree frogs (Hyla orientalis) with more skin-darkening melanin pigment were more likely to survive...

Dec 22, 2022

Transparent glassfrogs 'vanish' at night by hiding red blood cells in liver

When a glassfrog falls asleep, it vanishes. Nestled atop a lush leaf, the frog's bright green back blends right in, while its underbelly's reddish hue quickly grows transparent. Now, a new study in the journal Science reveals that the northern glassfrog (Hyalinobatrachium fleischmanni) pulls off this feat by removing almost...

Feb 17, 2023

Otherworldly 'Lord of the Rings' frog discovered in the mountains of Ecuador

Scientists in Ecuador have discovered a newfound species of stream frog with pale pink eyes and gold-speckled toes that looks like it came straight out of Middle-earth. That's why the researchers who discovered it named it Hyloscirtus tolkieni after J. R. R. Tolkien, the author of The Hobbit'' and The...

May 5, 2023

Brazilian tree frogs could be the 1st example of amphibians pollinating flowers, study finds

While most frogs eat a diet rich in insects, one species in Brazil has its own method of nourishment: dunking itself headfirst into a flower's bulb to slurp up its sweet nectar. When the frog comes up for air, pollen grains stuck to its rust-colored body get dispersed as it...

Jul 19, 2023

Black rain frog: The bizarre, grumpy-faced amphibian that's terrible at jumping and swimming

Name: Black rain frog (Breviceps fuscus) Where it lives: The forested slopes of the southern Cape fold mountains, South Africa What it eats: Small insects Why it's awesome: Move over grumpy cat — say hello to the grumpy frog. In addition to being a famous meme, black rain frogs have...