Category: Amphibians
This frogs are endemic to a very small area in Southwestern Australia. Though drably colored on their dorsal surfaces, the front of their underparts is bright orange. A unique adaptation is that they lay their eggs in a jelly mass in a shallow, terrestrial depression instead of in water – here they develop, without swimming or food, into the adult stage. Destruction and disturbance of their very restricted habitat is threatening the survival of this species and their relative, the white-bellied frog (Geocrinia alba).
Make sure you retract your eyes 30 times before swallowing!
It has long been known that Frogs retract their eyes and close them while eating, leading scientists to suspect that frogs use their eyes to help them swallow. This suspicion was finally confirmed in 2004, when the northern leopard frog was observed by scientists retracting its eyes while swallowing crickets, actually using them to help push the food toward its esophagus!
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