Competitive Edge
May 8th, 2008 by LisaMotorbike frogs are very competitive survivors.
One of their little tricks for eliminating the competition is to exude a chemical as they emerge from the water in the last stages of developing from tadpole to frog. This chemical has the effect of inhibiting the development of other tadpoles in the pond. The tadpoles don’t turn into frogs and therefore don’t compete for food with the lucky fellows who did.
It seems to me that this chemical builds up as more froglets emerge until the concentration is enough that it has the desired effect on all the remaining tadpoles. Pretty slick, huh!
Another nasty trick is associated with their hunting style. Motorbike frogs are motion hunters. They will eat only things that move and are of a suitable size. Unfortunately, this includes smaller frogs. Yikes! This is a very effective way of eliminating upcoming threats to the food source.
Motorbike frogs grow in proportion to the amount of food they eat and, so, the more they eat the bigger they get. It is very important to them, therefore, to protect their claim on the food in their environment. It’s a Frog eat Frog world!
Posted in Frog Facts. Permalink for this post: permalink.
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