Thursday 11 June 2015

A Frog in the Throat, Literally - via Herp Digest

Date: June 8, 2015
Source: Christian-Albrechts-Universitaet zu Kiel
For photos:
"I work as a research associate on a project into the sticky characteristics of amphibian tongues," says Dr Thomas Kleinteich, from the Functional Morphology and Biomechanics working group at the Zoological Institute at Kiel University. He generates three-dimensional computer models of animals using a micro-CT scanner, which works in a similar way to a medical CT scanner but is designed for investigating small objects. Kleinteich: "To do so, I use museum specimens conserved in alcohol. In this case, it is a South-American horned frog Ceratophrys from the collection at the Zoological Museum in Hamburg."
When analyzing the scan, Kleinteich found that another animal was present inside the frog: "We have known for a while that horned frogs are able to eat very large prey. Last year I was able to show experimentally, that horned frogs can produce extremely strong adhesive strength with their tongues, which they also need in order to catch larger prey. With the micro-CT I am able to show, for the first time, how such a large catch can even fit inside a horned frog." The image of the frog with a frog in its throat won a competition in May from the CT-manufacturing company "Bruker microCT."
Story Source:
The above story is based on materials provided by Christian-Albrechts-Universitaet zu Kiel. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.
Journal Reference:
  1. Kleinteich, Thomas. To have a frog in the throat: micro-CT imaging of anuran prey in Ceratophrys ornata (Anura: Ceratophryidae). SALAMANDRA - German Journal of Herpetology, Volume 51, No. 2 June 2015
Cite This Page:

Christian-Albrechts-Universitaet zu Kiel. "A frog in the throat, literally." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 8 June 2015. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/06/150608082923.htm>.

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