Faced with Danger, Embryonic Frogs Make a Break for It
This article was not about the tailed frog but about another species, the red-eyed tree frog. It was about a scientific experimented that proved that the eggs of those frogs could detect vibrations from predators and hatch earlier to excape.



Even before they've hatched, red-eyed tree frogs have a nose for danger. The results of a new study suggest that the creatures can detect the vibrations from a predator and hatch early in order to escape.
The eggs of red-eyed tree frogs usually hatch between six and eight days after fertilization but the animals can emerge up to 30 percent sooner if necessary. Karen M. Warkentin of Boston University and the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama studied egg clutches located on the edge of Ocelot Pond in Panama to identify the circumstances under which embryos leave their clutch (the gelatinous mass deposited on a tree leaf) prematurely. She observed eggs that were exposed to two predators--parrot snakes and cat-eye snakes--and analyzed the vibrations caused when they attacked the clutch and captured some of the developing frogs. "They hatch when the snake starts biting the clutch, not before," Warkentin explains. "It's not because there are snakes in the neighborhood or snakes there looking at it."
Warkentin recorded vibrations in the clutch set off by snake-attacks using a device called an accelerometer and compared them to vibrations linked to natural events such as rainstorms. The major differences between the two samples were related to timing: snake bites tend to last longer than raindrops do and there are longer spaces between snake bites than there are between raindrops. When Warkentin tweaked the recordings and generated vibrations using unrelated sounds, she found that the more snake-like patterns caused a greater number of eggs to hatch early and swim to safety as compared to rainlike recordings. "These experiments don't rule out the possibility that the frog eggs use other cues," she notes, "but clearly differences in temporal patterns are enough to affect the perception of how dangerous a disturbance is." A paper detailing the work will be published in the July issue of the journal Animal Behavior. --Sarah Graham

A DAY IN THE LIFE
Meet Timmy the Tailed Frog. Timmy used to live a simple life, riding a current while attached to a rock and sucking on an algae or two a day. But now that he has grown these fabulous new legs he's ready to jump out of water and into a new terristrial world. As he hops out of the water and takes a fresh breath of air he looks around to see stones and trees everywhere. He also notices a snake and keeps a wary watch out for that potential threat. He hops along swallowing a worm or two and finally finds a nice cozy place to spend the night.

DIET
As a tadpole, the tailed frogs will use their mouths to scrape away algae on the bottoms of their streams. When they grow older the adults will eat any sort of insects and invertebrates (spiders, worms, etc.)

HABITAT
The tailed frog can be found in cold, fast moving streams with rocky bottoms. These streams can be generally found in mountainous areas.
They are located in southern British Columbia to Northern California and can also be found in western Montana to Idaho.

REPRODUCTION
Due to their environment the male tailed frog inserts his sperm in to the female using his "tail". When the eggs are fertilized the female lays the eggs underneath rocks to keep the eggs from being swept away from the current. When the tadpoles develope the tadpoles latch on to the rock with their mouths against the current.

ADAPTATIONS
The biggest adaptation that this frog has besides the typical frog adaptations (skin to keep in moisture, strong hind legs for jumping, etc)is its tail. The males use the tails for mating. Unlike other frogs they can not fertilize the eggs externally. Since These frogs live in fast paced waters tailed frogs use internal fertilization.
The tadpoles also have a major adaptation. They have a mouth that can stick to smooth objects. This adaption keeps the tadpoles from being swept away.

CHARACTERISITCS

The most distinctive feature of the Tailed Frog is its tail which the mail frog uses for reproduction (See "Reproduction"). These frogs can reach up to 2 inches in length and they can be a brown, grey, or reddish sort of color. Tailed frogs also have a lighter triangle shape near its eyes.
The skin of the frog is smooth but has many warts. They also have a wide fifth toe and no external eardrum.