Observatoire des droits humains (anglais seulement)

Unusual senses: the secret superpowers of amphibians and reptiles

(Version anglaise seulement)

par 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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