In their lab, researchers at Georgia Tech gathered and stretched frog saliva.
Good times.
They found the saliva morphs from the consistency of honey to water, and back again … in under a second.
Once inside the mouth, the toad has a new problem: ungluing its lunch.
To figure out how they do it, scientists at the University of Florida put tiny metal markers on cane toads’ tongues and filmed X-ray footage of them eating.
Keep an eye on the gold marker, right here. That’s the toad’s tongue.
Out, in, and down.
They found the toad basically swallows its own tongue deep into its body, right next to its toady heart.
It scrapes off its prey with a rigid piece of cartilage called a hyoid.
Right on into that tummy!
It’s a meal fit for a prince – a prince with a terrifically tacky tongue.
Oh, my.
This poor fella is having trouble keeping down his lunch.
Maybe he should have picked something smaller – like, mosquitoes!
Speaking of – did you know mosquitoes have 6 different needles to suck your blood?
Watch our episode to see ’em up close and personal.
