Saturday, January 22, 2011

Vampire Flying Frogs


Look out Kermit...
From The Age:

Australian Museum biologist Jodi Rowley found the mysterious frog while exploring an uncharted mountainous region of southern Vietnam.
The distinctive moniker comes from the fact that the tadpole of the species carries unique, Dracula-like fangs. No one knows yet what the fangs are for. ''As far as I know, a tadpole like this hasn't been seen before anywhere,'' Dr Rowley said. ''I didn't notice anything strange about the tadpoles at all, until I looked at them under the microscope and saw these hard, black fangs.''
The fangs, described as ''keratinised hooks'', may possibly be used for hunting or eating. They could also be used as anchor points to help the tadpoles grip the sides of the small ponds in the holes of tree trunks where the frogs breed and live.
Surviving tadpoles grow into adult vampire flying frogs, which seem to spend most of their lives in trees. They sport unusual amounts of webbing between their digits, allowing them to glide from branch to branch in search of food.
Several adult frogs were found in the forests of the Langbian Plateau by Dr Rowley and a team of students between 2008 and 2010.

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