See-Through Frog Embryos Know When Dad's Not Watching

[Frog News]

Yahoo News (USA) April 29th, 2014 06:29 PM: See-Through Frog Embryos Know When Dad's Not Watching

With their hearts, guts and other internal organs visible through translucent skin, glass frogs look vulnerable. Now, scientists have found that the embryos of these nocturnal frogs do not like staying defenseless, so they hatch more quickly when their fathers desert them. However, many embryos have ways of taking care of themselves, especially if their parents abandon them. For instance, "in red-eyed tree frogs, a species without parental care, embryos can assess and rapidly hatch in response to predators," said lead study author Jesse Delia, an ethologist at Boston University.


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