Date: June 8, 2015
Source: Christian-Albrechts-Universitaet zu Kiel
For photos:
"I
work as a research associate on a project into the sticky
characteristics of amphibian tongues," says Dr Thomas Kleinteich, from
the Functional Morphology and Biomechanics working group at the
Zoological Institute at Kiel University. He generates three-dimensional
computer models of animals using a micro-CT scanner, which works in a
similar way to a medical CT scanner but is designed for investigating
small objects. Kleinteich: "To do so, I use museum specimens conserved
in alcohol. In this case, it is a South-American horned frog Ceratophrys
from the collection at the Zoological Museum in Hamburg."
When
analyzing the scan, Kleinteich found that another animal was present
inside the frog: "We have known for a while that horned frogs are able
to eat very large prey. Last year I was able to show experimentally,
that horned frogs can produce extremely strong adhesive strength with
their tongues, which they also need in order to catch larger prey. With
the micro-CT I am able to show, for the first time, how such a large
catch can even fit inside a horned frog." The image of the frog with a
frog in its throat won a competition in May from the CT-manufacturing
company "Bruker microCT."
Story Source:
The above story is based on materials provided by Christian-Albrechts-Universitaet zu Kiel. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.
Journal Reference:
- Kleinteich, Thomas. To have a frog in the throat: micro-CT imaging of anuran prey in Ceratophrys ornata (Anura: Ceratophryidae). SALAMANDRA - German Journal of Herpetology, Volume 51, No. 2 June 2015
Cite This Page:
Christian-Albrechts-Universitaet zu Kiel. "A frog in the throat, literally." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 8 June 2015. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/06/150608082923.htm>.
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