Frog Saliva Is A Great Hunting Tool

There are a lot of animals that are considered to be great hunters. Despite the fact that you might not see a frog as a great hunter, this animal is indeed one. The special tool that is used by frogs in order to capture their prey is actually their saliva.

• Frog saliva can change its viscosity
• Frogs use their tongues to hunt
• Researchers believe that frog saliva can be used for practical applications
• Saliva is the best hunting tool for a frog

Researchers discovered that frog saliva is their best hunting tool. They observed that the saliva can change its consistency while the frog is hunting. After the frog has found the pray the saliva gets sticky in order for the frog to capture the prey.

The scientists found out that a frog’s tongue changes from thin to thick once the insects are in captured by the frog. Normally the tongue of a frog is very soft but it changes in order to be able to hunt. This study was conducted by a team of researchers from the Georgia Institute of Technology.

Alexis Noel with the help of his colleagues was able to find out more about frog saliva. They observed that the saliva changes its viscosity in a few seconds. The researchers mentioned that the frog saliva is its only hunting tool. The frogs don’t actually move their bodies when they hunt; they only use their tongue.

When it found its prey the frog move its tongue at a high speed. After the prey is on the tongue the saliva changes the viscosity and the prey is captured in the mouth of the frog. In order to conduct this study, the researchers analyzed the saliva from more than 18 frogs.

The researchers also mentioned that the frogs have a special tongue that is a real help in the hunting process. The tongue acts like a bungee cord. The tongue actually deforms in order to keep the insect in contact.

The researchers said that they focused on this topic because frog saliva can be used in order to create an adhesive that is soft and that can work a high speed. They mentioned that the frog saliva can be used for other practical applications. This research was published in the Journal of the Royal Society Interface in 1st of February.

What is your opinion about the study? Do you think that frog saliva can be used in practical applications?

Image source: Wikipedia