Unusual senses: The secret superpowers of amphibians and reptiles
The Surinam toad is one of the strangest frogs on Earth. Flat-bodied, tiny-eyed and adapted to the murky waters of the Amazon basin, it hunts well despite having very poor vision. When a fish swims close, the frog suddenly opens its mouth and sucks the prey inside in a fraction of a second.
The Surinam toad, a peculiar frog species found in the murky waters of the Amazon basin, possesses an extraordinary ability to hunt effectively despite having poor vision. When a fish swims close by, the frog swiftly opens its mouth and engulfs the prey within seconds. The secret lies in its unique fingertips, which end in clusters of 16 tiny lobes, resulting in 128 miniature sensory structures packed with touch-sensitive nerve endings.
These lobes can detect even the slightest movements in the surrounding water, enabling the frog to sense an approaching fish in complete darkness by holding its long front legs outstretched with fingers spread wide. This remarkable sense of touch is just one example of the unusual sensory abilities found in amphibians and reptiles, demonstrating that the animal kingdom is full of unexpected adaptations to solve complex problems related to environmental sensing.
Written by urgent.news from Phys.org's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
