How red-eyed treefrog embryos hatch in seconds
Wednesday, June 15, 2016 - 17:01
in Biology & Nature
When they come under attack by a predatory treesnake, red-eyed treefrog embryos must escape in seconds or risk becoming lunch. However, most frog embryos take hours to hatch. Intrigued by the treefrogs rapid emergence, scientists from Boston University and the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute have discovered that the minute escapologists rapidly release egg membrane degrading enzymes from their snouts, which digest a small hole in the structure through which the escapees can wriggle to freedom.