They say that you have learned how to walk before you can run, but in the evolutionary history of frogs it seems that there was no time to stop them from learning to jump before they landed. Evidence of this has been found in an old-but-gold study conducted in 2010, which was observed by the family of exotic but primitive frogs, Leiopelmatidae.
The species in this group are unique while using alternative legs for swimming. Curious to see how jumping performance compared to more advanced counterparts in Leiopelmatidae, the researchers analyzed the jumps and landings of five different species of frogs in a study published in The Science of Nature.
There were three primitive groups (Ascaphus montanus, Leiopelma pakeka, and Leiopelma hochstetteri) and two were advanced (Bombina orientalis and Lithobates pipiens). The results showed that the jumping and landing behavior of modern frogs is an important step, where the frog emerges from the ground and rotates the limbs so that they first make contact with the floor, which was absent in primitive species. These frogs opted for a less dignified method that would allow them to make their debut in the air when they slipped on the ground before running an epic belly flop.
The researchers said that this could also represent the evolutionary division of the inexperienced method, which indicates why the trout use alternative legs for national swimming in Leiopelmatidae. “We compared the jumping behavior in leiopelmatids with more emerging frogs and found that leiopelmatids maintain an extended barrier during flight and landing stages and do not land on the addicted tip,” the study authors wrote. “These‘ belly-flop ’landings limit the ability to repeat jumps and are compatible with a riparian source for frog jumps.
“The unique behavior of the leiopelmatids shows that the frogs jump before performing on landing. Furthermore, the inability to rapidly rotate limbs may provide a functional explanation for the absence of synchronous swimming in the Leiopelmatids.” The frog-hop revolution at Leiopelmatids may have started with a jump, but unfortunately they literally and figuratively left it in the dirt, unable to perform repeated jumps that proved effective when the forecast was lost.
