Unusual senses: the secret superpowers of amphibians and reptiles

By Steven Allain, Senior Lecturer in Animal Science, Anglia Ruskin University

The Surinam toad is one of the strangest frogs on Earth. Flat-bodied, tiny-eyed and adapted to the murky waters of the Amazon basin, it hunts well despite having very poor vision. When a fish swims close, the frog suddenly opens its mouth and sucks the prey inside in a fraction of a second.

Researchers from the University of California have recently discovered that the secret lies in its bizarre fingertips. Each finger ends in a cluster of 16 tiny lobes, giving the frog 128 miniature sensory structures.…

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