And then it lay sprawled out, sulking there as if to blame God: Why did evolution create a failure like me?
The leaps of frogs are often regarded as a wonder of evolution. When you see a frog crouch down, compress its hips back, and then spring onto its legs – two of the most powerful biological springs in the animal kingdom – the frog is performing a classic jump that has become a hallmark of its species.
And then it flies through the air, legs extended like graceful long jump athletes. Its front legs fold before stretching forward, landing and supporting its entire bulky body as it shoots forward like a cannonball.
“Thud,” the frog hits the ground after tracing a perfect parabolic arc in the air. All this occurs in the blink of an eye.
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In fact, the jumping instinct of frogs is something they have developed to escape from predators. When a frog senses danger lurking, it will jump away. And you rarely catch them, right?
Pie noted that although the pumpkin toads jump quite clumsily, you still seldom manage to catch them. “Sometimes the two of us can search all day and only bring back one,” he said.
This is because pumpkin toads employ a different evasion strategy. When they encounter danger, they will still jump. But that clumsy landing actually helps the frog wedge itself into the dense foliage on the forest floor. Now, the frog just needs to lie still there, motionless. It will be rare for any predator to find them again.
In Brazil, the pumpkin toad species is thriving. The tropical forest provides them with plenty of food, including many insects that these tiny frogs can hunt and consume. During their hunting expeditions, pumpkin toads move very stealthily and slowly, much like chameleons.
At this pace, their vestibular system can still manage to balance their bodies. “And they are doing fine,” Essner said. The only question is whether evolution will continue to shrink pumpkin toads and further reduce the function of their vestibular system.
“If these toads keep getting smaller, they might lose their vestibular function altogether,” Pie said. At that point, it’s uncertain how they will move and jump around.
