The appearance of the critically endangered Titicaca giant frogs seems rather bizarre with their unusually wrinkled skin. The behavior of the animals also seems strange, as they sometimes appear to do ‘push-ups’ under water. Research has now revealed why they do this.
The Titicaca giant frog (also known as the Titicaca frog or Titicaca frog, note) is the largest exclusively aquatic frog in the world and breathes almost exclusively through its oversized skin. In collaboration with Brown University, Schönbrunn Zoo has now been able to show in a study that the amphibians often do “underwater push-ups” in particularly low-oxygen conditions.
Exercise probably supports skin respiration
The animals probably adopted this method to support skin respiration. “The folds in the frog skin increase the surface area. The ‘push-ups’ move the folds, allowing oxygen to be taken up from the surrounding water,” the researchers report in the journal ‘Behavioural Processes’.
This is particularly beneficial in the frogs’ natural habitat, Lake Titicaca in western South America. “Due to the altitude and the resulting low air pressure, conditions there are often low in oxygen,” says zoo director Stephan Hering-Hagenbeck.
The researchers used nitrogen gas to simulate the oxygen-poor environment of frogs in the wild in test tanks at the Vienna Zoo. According to the statement, the gas partially displaces the oxygen dissolved in the water. Initially, they could observe that the frogs reduced their activity. As the oxygen content of the cool water dropped even further, the animals started doing their “push-ups.”
Behavior improves gas exchange in water
“The ‘push-up’ behavior can improve gas exchange between the frog skin and the water by interrupting the oxygen-poor boundary layer around the skin folds. This behavior represents an exciting adaptation by the animals to quickly meet their oxygen needs,” says Doris Preininger, a research assistant at Schönbrunn Zoo who was involved in the study.
Animal is threatened with extinction
The Titicaca giant frog is found only in Lake Titicaca – the largest lake in South America, which belongs to Bolivia and Peru. It can reach a head and body length of up to 20 centimeters, lives in water depths of up to one hundred meters and is threatened with extinction. The Titicaca frog is successfully bred in the Schönbrunn Zoo – also for research purposes.
Source: Krone
I am an experienced and passionate journalist with a strong track record in news website reporting. I specialize in technology coverage, breaking stories on the latest developments and trends from around the world. Working for Today Times Live has given me the opportunity to write thought-provoking pieces that have caught the attention of many readers.
