"I" Know What You Had For Lunch!

Did you know that-------------

               Baby frogs can detect what their 

                                           predator ate for lunch?

Species of gray treefrog (Hyla versicolor) is a medium-sized frog that lives throughout much of eastern North America and through the central United States to the Gulf Coast of Texas. They inhabit in the forests but move to the water when they breed. The tadpoles are hatched in the water. Each one of these little tadpoles has the special ability to sense predators in the water through chemical cues.

On top of that, these tadpoles detect what predators habitually feeds, either tadpole or other organisms such as snails. Isn't that amazing?! When they figure out what their predator eat, they will adjust their own behaviour accordingly. When a predator habitually feeds on tadpoles, the treefrog tadpoles spend more time hiding and undergo changes in shape. There tails grow bigger for quicker and more effective escape. Meanwhile their body get smaller because most of the energy invested to the tail. On the other hand, if the predator is feeding on snails, the treefrog tadpoles spend less time hiding and will have larger bodies (meaning bigger mouth and longer intestine to store food!).