Frogs are seriously equal parts cool and equal parts strange. These adorable amphibians spend their lives straddling life on land and in water, hopping around between lily pads, trees and even showing up on homeowners’ windows when they least expect it. And, have you ever heard their unique sounds at night? Haunting! Love these funny little guys, and we’ve got two videos that show just how unique they really are.
The first one was filmed in Nashville, Tennessee, USA, on Father’s Day! The video captures a strange moment where one hungry little frog got to feast on something that not only satisfied his hunger but gave the rest of us something to marvel at.
This beautiful and eerie sight is of a frog who just caught and ate a firefly! Clinging to the wall, the frog’s belly intermittently lights up and then turns off. Curious homeowners crowd around him to watch this naturally-occurring magic show. “There’s a frog with a lightning bug in his stomach. He just ate it,” says a voice in the clip. It might gross some people out, but I happen to think it’s super neat. When the bug lights up, you can see all of the animal’s veins. It’s quite surreal.
Apparently, what’s happening here is that even though the firefly is dead, it’s a chemical reaction that gives off the light. It’s the organic process of oxygen combining with calcium and the chemical luciferin in the presence of luciferase that produces a bio-luminescent enzyme that causes the amphibian to glow! As the fly becomes more absorbed into the frog’s digestive system, the chemicals are exposed to each other again, therefore giving the impression that the fly is alive. How delightful mother nature can be!
Then, the second video shows us yet another bizarre froggy occurrence. This little guy is a very unusual glass frog from South America who has transparent skin. That can only mean one thing, and you guessed it! All of his insides like his stomach and intestines are perfectly visible from the outside. This small family of glass frogs (Centrolenidae) is nocturnal and they live in swampy, river-y ecosystems in the dense, humid tropical forests of South America. These little guys are exactly that, little, almost miniature, measuring only 2-3 centimeters in size. They usually hide during the day in environments that keep their sheer skin hydrated, making them very difficult to find.
That’s why this teeny guy, making an appearance on a window, is rare! And we get an up close and personal look at him. How cool are these two same-but-different creatures?
Click on the video below for the firefly eating frog.
Now, check out this transparent one right here.
