2019-09-01 Reader\'s Digest

EURASIAN

ROLLER BIRD

HAIRY FROG

If you learned of a frog

that was constantly

breaking its bones,

you’d probably think,

Wow, that’s one care-

less amphibian. But the

four-inch hairy frog of

western Africa knows

what it’s doing. When

threatened, it can con-

tract muscles that are

connected to its hind

claws, breaking the

bones. The frog then

thrusts the shards

through the underside

of its toe pads, turning

them into weapons.

When the foe has been

vanquished, the bones

retreat back into the

foot, where it’s believed

the tissue around the

bony claws eventually

regenerates. Superhero

fans may recognize this

move. After all, the

creature’s nom de

guerre is the

Wolverine

frog.

Imagine you saw some people to whom

you wanted to say hello, but as you ap-

proached, they opened their mouths—and

vomited on you. You would give them a

wide berth, right? In the case of young

Eurasian roller birds, they have a good rea-

son for this rude behavior: They assumed

you were going to eat them. Rollers have

been known to travel from Europe to cen-

tral Asia, and along the way they encoun-

ter countless snakes, rats, and other

predators. When the young birds hurl

their orange, putrid-smelling intestinal

fluid, it keeps the bad guys at bay and

alerts their parents to potential trouble.

98 september 2019

Reader’s Digest