That’s Wild: Why Flying Froglets Impersonate Poop
You may have heard of insects who masquerade as poop to keep predatory birds at bay. Well, some frogs do it too. But are they successful?
Researchers recently set out to discover how well fecal camo works for young Wallace’s flying frogs in South Pacific jungles. The team painted hundreds of wax froglets in different colors schemes: some red, some green, and some — like the real froglets — red with white splotches, much like the droppings of Southeast Asian fruit-eating birds. The splotched fakes got attacked half as often as the pure red ones.
According to the study, grossing out birds may be what lets young frogs grow up to be green, web-footed adults, hiding and gliding in the rainforest canopy.
Featured in Endangered Earth Online, 1231, Feb. 8, 2024: https://www.biologicaldiversity.org/p...
Based on Scientific American report, “This Flying Frog
Spends Its Youth Masquerading as Poop,” by E.A. Brown.
https://www.scientificamerican.com/ar...
Adult frogs by Daniel Zupanc/Vienna Zoo.
Juvenile frog by Samanth Cloer/Vienna Zoo.
Music: foreverlasting by Justnormal, frumhere via Canva.
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