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- Feb 22, 2007
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Read all about it here, in Biology Letters.
Basically, as with the X-men charactor, these frogs have retractable claws. However, also in common with Wolverine, they penetrate the skin, causing open wounds which then need to be healed by the frog. There's a good write up about it here, here, and here.
In short, the frogs have a bone in their toes which is spring loaded. When threatened, the bone snaps off a connector, then flings out of the skin, where it penetrates the opponent's flesh. The frog then scratches the daylights out of the poor predator, until it's released.
Not shockingly, this is well known to the Congoese natives who only hunt them with spears.
There is no 'retracting' muscle, so the researchers believe the claw had to passively retract over time. Frogs are known to have regenerative abilities, so it may be that the open wounds are easily healed...
Basically, as with the X-men charactor, these frogs have retractable claws. However, also in common with Wolverine, they penetrate the skin, causing open wounds which then need to be healed by the frog. There's a good write up about it here, here, and here.
In short, the frogs have a bone in their toes which is spring loaded. When threatened, the bone snaps off a connector, then flings out of the skin, where it penetrates the opponent's flesh. The frog then scratches the daylights out of the poor predator, until it's released.
Not shockingly, this is well known to the Congoese natives who only hunt them with spears.
There is no 'retracting' muscle, so the researchers believe the claw had to passively retract over time. Frogs are known to have regenerative abilities, so it may be that the open wounds are easily healed...
