Frog Embryos Speed-Hatch to Escape Danger

A developing frog embryo in its jelly-like egg mass can be quite the escape artist. http://goo.gl/5dliq3
Credit: Live Science
Footage: Myra C. Hughey and Karen M. Warkentin

 By Mindy Weisberger, Senior Writer | June 16, 2016


A developing frog embryo in its jelly-like egg mass can be quite the escape artist: When predators come calling, the red-eyed tree frog embryo can detect the threat and drop out of its egg to safety in a matter of seconds, even though it normally wouldn't be ready to hatch for several more days.

 And for the first time, scientists have discovered how the embryos are wriggling out of harm's way. Karen Warkentin, study co-author and a biology professor at Boston University, reported the unusual behavior in red-eyed tree frog embryos in an earlier study published in 2005 in the journal Animal Behavior. Warkentin recorded the embryos' responses to different types of vibrations.

She noted that the embryos could tell the difference between vibrations caused by a predator and those caused by other types of disturbances such as raindrops, recognizing when certain types of touches on their egg membranes meant danger. [Video: Tree Frog Embryos are Speedy Escape Artists]