Nature is full of all sorts of surprises, and among the latest is that horned frogs have a superpower. Their tongues can lift up to three times their body weight.
Nature is full of all sorts of surprises, and among the latest is that horned frogs have a superpower. Their tongues can lift up to three times their body weight.
Scientists have long know that the predators are capable of amazing hunting feats, often catching relatively huge prey, but weren’t fully aware of the role of tongue strength played.
Recently, a group of researchers studying frog tongues for their adhesive qualities learned that there’s a whole a lot of power behind that sticky surface.
A few horned frogs were picked up at a local pet store and placed on one side of a piece of glass opposite a treat.
The divider was rigged to measure force, and in examining the readings the team learned that typically the strength exerted was larger than the amphibian itself.
In one case it was three times greater.
To ensure it wasn’t a fluke, each frog was tested about 20 times.
Their findings offered great insights into how it is that frogs can and will go after, as one researcher said, “…pretty much everything that fits into their mouths.”
