What specific muscular organ is the wood frog's primary tool for securing prey via rapid projection?
Answer
The tongue
The primary method utilized by the wood frog to capture its invertebrate meals is the projection of its highly specialized tongue. This muscular organ is equipped with sticky mucus, allowing it to adhere instantly to prey upon contact. The feeding relies on stealth and proximity, so the mechanism must be extremely fast. The tongue is projected outward rapidly, snags the prey, and is immediately retracted back into the mouth, effectively snatching the invertebrate and bringing it into the predator.
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Feeding Wood Frogs and an American Toad - YouTube
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