Horror Frog

I've posted on the horror frog, Trichobatrachus robustus, before, but Rachel pointed me towards a fairly in depth article about them. And a new photo. So much to share.

In their native Cameroon, people who eat the horror frog have to hunt them with spears and machetes, as opposed to the usual nets, because these frogs can defend themselves. They do so with the Wolverine-style mechanism seen below.

Photo source: NewScientist.com














When provoked, these frogs flex muscles in their toes that cause a bony spur in the tips of their digits to break away from the collagen that bonds them to a bony chip in the tip of the toe. The spur then pierces the flesh of the toe pad, resulting in instant claws.

These insta-claws are unique in the animal world to the Astylosternus genus of frogs. Unlike other claws, these spurs are pure bone, without the keratin sheath you've seen on cat and dog claws (and every other vertebrate claw). And those claws can do damage (hence the spears and machetes). The Harvard University researchers who brought the findings to light have only ever worked with dead specimens, so they don't know how the claws are retracted. Most likely, given the absence of a retractor muscle, the claws retract passively once the toes relax. And, given that they are amphibians, most likely the torn flesh and ruptured collagen regenerates, at least to some extent.

















"Hey, horror frog, does that hurt?"
"Every time."

Here's what an adult looks like. As if the claws weren't enough, it's also hairy. A hairy frog. It looks like it has just donned a grass hula skirt and is off to terrorize a luau. But, of course, those aren't real hairs. They are hair-like strands of skin that males grow when tending to their brood. The researchers' best guess is that the extra surface area of the strands allow the male frog to take in more oxygen while being a daddy. Fine. All right, frog. You've redeemed yourself...a bit. I'll forgive you the skirt.




















Thanks for the horror frog, Rachel.

Beloved Dairy Goat

Photo source: Ram Krishnan
Rahat Basit has delivered to us the Jamunapari goat, and the world is a brighter place for it. The jamunapari is one of the most beloved and tall of the Indian dairy goats. And how can you not adore it? Look at that stubby snout and those dangly, beveined ears. The droopy eyes and the prominent forehead!

I've got a hankering for goat cheese now. Maybe some cheese rolled with cranberries and walnuts...I shouldn't be posting on my lunch break. Must go eat. Leftovers.

Thanks, Rahat. The Pari is amazing.

Spidey and Me

The Alberta Jewel Spider is one of 25 orb-weaving spiders in Alberta, Canada. I think I've had run ins with this spider, or its cousins, while backpacking through Waterton park. One morning, every dozen or so yards the trail was draped with fresh webs. It was a testimony to my exhaustion that I couldn't summon up enough energy to turn back to base camp. Instead, I batted the webs aside and saved my arachnophobia-induced trembling for the next packs-off break.

Bone Artist has one living in her house. That's right. IN her house. The spider, which shouldn't typically be active during the winter, now has a custom enclosure in a warm corner in Bone Artist's bedroom. She feeds the spider young crickets and is enjoying watching it grow up. It's one thing to take in a rescue puppy or kitten. At least they return the affection. But to take in a rescue orb weaver? Now that's devotion. I see a movie deal in the future: "Spidey and Me."

Photo source: JMR64

It's Monsoon Time

For most creatures, people included, monsoon season is a time to head for high ground or at least for shelter. Not so for the purple frog. Monsoons equal mating time for the purple frog.

Native to India, the purple frog (Nasikabatrachus sahyadrensis) is a relatively recent discovery. They spend nearly their time entire underground, where they eat and sleep and play chess. But come the monsoons, with their temporary rain pools, these anurans mate by amplexus (frog hugs) while floating on the water's surface (romance!). The sight of storm ravaged soil must be to this frog what soft candle light and turned-down silk sheets are to most of you.

Thanks for the article, Leigh.

Photo source: BBC

Four Eyes

I've posted on the spookfish before, but never from this angle, in this lighting, and with this new little tidbit. It's been recently discovered that this fish is the first vertebrate known to use powerful mirrors for eyes, instead of lenses.

Photo source: Julian Partridge/University of Bristol/PA via Guardian.co.uk




















The spookfish appears to have four eyes. But in reality, they have two eyes, both of which are diverticular (new vocab alert!). One half of the eye points upward (toward food), and the other half looks down into the abyss (toward danger).

Photo source: ScienceDaily.com
Finding out how to use mirrors instead of lenses to see seems a bit like a solution searching for a problem, but it works for the spookfish. We only learned of this factoid recently because a live specimen had never been captured before. But when Professor Hans-Joachim Wagner from Tuebingen University got his hands on one, he was able to determine the diverticularishness (new fake vocab alert!) by using a series of camera flashes.

I'm sure the fish enjoyed being flashed at. I hate it, and I only have two lenses to worry about, and I have fancy eyelids to cover them. The little spookfish has four mirrors to shield, and no lids or hands to help.

Thanks for the article, dourocouli.

Jumping Spider Eyes

Jumping spiders comprise the famliy Salticidae, the largest and most diverse of spider families (ah, a melting pot), with between 4,000 and 5,000 species described. I love these little creatures. I find them all over my house. They aren't leggy enough to trigger my arachnophobia, their turret heads remind me of tanks (always an endearing image), and those eyes look alien and intelligent. And they eat bugs (and sometimes web-weaving spiders).

Salticids are small (most are less than one inch long), and they can jump 10 - 40 times their body length to pounce on prey or to avoid becoming prey. They accomplish this using good ol' fashioned hydraulics: they pump fluid into their legs quick enough to allow them to spring at lighting speed. Enjoy these photos. Click on some of them and you'll almost be able to see the reflection of the camera in their central eyes. My favorite is the last one. He looks like he's been naughty and is hiding from his parents. Who could chastise the little guy, with his liquid eyes and furry pedipalps?

Thanks for the photos, Tracy.

UPDATE: 'nonspecific' has discovered that Opo Terser is to thank for these photos. Thank you, Opo! Also, that second photo, it turns out, is photoshopped.

Photos via: PopGive.com

Mystery Holes

Ever wander the beach, find the perfect shell, and flip it over only to find that there is a perfect little hole drilled into it? I've had it happen dozens of times. I always wondered what caused it, but for some reason assumed that the mystery holes formed postmortem.

Thanks to Jelo, the mystery of the shell holes is solved.

Enter the moon snail. These large snails cruise the sandy foam of the shoreline and tidal pools in search of their prey: clams, mussels, etc. If it's got a shell, it's food. They're like gastropod bulldozers with one mission in mind: a seafood dinner.

They look too big for their shells, don't they? That's because when they come across a less mobile clam, they envelop it with their over-sized mantle and go to work drilling their way through the shell while the clam lies there helpless.


















They do so with a raspy tongue (radula) that scrapes a perfect hole in the shell (aided by secreted chemicals). Once they've made their way through the shell, they proceed to dine. It's a slow process, but snails are patient (more snail wisdom to come in future posts). There are lots of ways to die in the ocean. This one seems like one of the less pleasant ones.

Think the snail won't fit inside the shell? Just pick one up and start poking it. It will shed water like a little sprinkler system until it fits inside. Go on. I dare you. Be sure to video it.























Thanks, Jelo. Now I know who the culprits are.

Falling Ticks

David Pearson removed this from a patient's ear. It's most likely Dermacentor variabilis, an American dog tick. You can even see a scrap of the ear canal that got removed along with the tick.

Ticks are very common disease vectors, meaning that, like the mosquito, they are responsible for carrying a variety of illnesses from host to host. If you end up with a dog tick in your ear, perhaps you'll be relieved to know that while you might contract Rocky Mountain spotted fever, you won't get Lyme disease. That's carried by the deer tick. I imagine in such a situation, you'd scramble for any form of solace.

It's also a relief to know that ticks don't fly or jump. They usually just fall. Sounds a lot like my son, who's just learned how to walk. No one tell him that I compared him to a tick.

Photo source: David Pearson