Graduate researcher Talia Weiss and her team studied cricket frogs’ unique locomotion over water, revealing their method actually involves brief belly flops rather than the surface skimming previously thought. Using high-speed videography, they documented these frogs jumping into the air in a series of kicks, contradicting earlier assumptions. Weiss noted that the frogs' leg motions are too slow to facilitate true surface hopping, highlighting the differences in mechanics compared to other species like basilisk lizards. This research provides insights into the physical limitations and adaptations of these amphibians.
The motion is so fast that if you look at it with the naked eye, you really can't tell the difference.
They were actually doing a series of belly flops—sinking for a fraction of a second and then kicking themselves upward with each jump.
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