Frogs Throw Up Their Entire Stomach Rather Than Just The Contents Of It
Frogs are fascinating little creatures. They never cease to surprise us with their unusual talents and remarkable biology. Happily, it seems that brilliant new frogs continue to emerge today. National Geographic recently reported that two new species of glass frogs were discovered in Ecuador, living in the region of the river Guayllabamba. They may appear rather ordinary at first glance, small and green being very much the frog standard. However, their organs can be clearly seen, as their undersides are entirely see-through. Though these two distinct species are new to science, these incredible creatures aren't that unusual: The Neotropics are reportedly home to 157 different species of glass frog.
There's much more to the strangeness of the biology of frogs at large than that. Incredibly, when vomiting, these unfortunate amphibians' stomachs leave their bodies entirely. We've all felt a little that way when experiencing particularly bad bouts of sickness, but frogs take the whole concept literally.
The science of vomiting
The science of vomiting, here in the human world, is relatively straightforward. Colloquially referred to as throwing up, blowing chunks, and other less-than-unpleasant terms, vomiting is the terrible sensation of the contents of our stomachs returning from whence they came.
According to Healthline, it isn't a sickness in and of itself, but a common symptom of a range of conditions. From headaches to pregnancy to eating things that may have disagreed with you, we can be driven to vomit by a lot of different things. It's an awful sensation, and protracted vomiting can lead to dehydration and other medical emergencies, per the outlet.
In the end, though, we should be grateful for the fact that our body has such a mechanism. Should we consume something that would be dangerous or even deadly to us, after all, we want to get that out of our systems as soon as possible. This is no comfort for those who experience the scourge of motion sickness, and one in three people do at some point in their lives, according to Cleveland Clinic. But whether or not you do, you should be thankful you're not a frog. Instead of vomiting in a conventional way, they reportedly spit their whole stomachs and empty them manually. Ew.
Throwing their guts up, literally
Some species of frog, according to How Stuff Works, don't have the less-than-dignified ability to remove anything objectionable from their stomachs. The Japanese tree frog, as one example, uses a rather more drastic approach, which is scientifically referred to as full gastric eversion.
When they say "full," they mean full. A frog, according to the outlet, will eject its whole stomach from its body, should it ingest something particularly dangerous or objectionable. They're not the only creatures that can do this: sharks can too, for instance. From there, the frog can "dig" the undesirable contents from its stomach using one of its limbs before returning the stomach to its body and going on about its day, largely unharmed.
It may sound like the kind of grisly thing you might see in a cartoon, but it appears to be an efficient approach. Another extraordinary feature of frog biology is the way that food gets down their throats in the first place. Per BBC, according to "Natural World 2014-2015: Attenborough's Fabulous Frogs," their great eyeballs are crucial to the way they eat. The eminent naturalist narrates, "As a frog swallows, it pulls its bulging eyes downwards, so that they help to push the food down its throat," demonstrating the process with a large monkey frog and a rather unfortunate cricket.