Popular pets, dart frogs are known to tap their toes, but the precise reasoning behind it has eluded scientists until now.

Become a Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/herphighlights

Merch: https://www.redbubble.com/people/herphighlights/shop

Full reference list available here: http://www.herphighlights.podbean.com

Main Paper References:

Parrish TQ, Fischer EK. 2024. Tap dancing frogs: Posterior toe tapping and feeding in Dendrobates tinctorius. Ethology 130:e13465. DOI: 10.1111/eth.13465.

Species of the Bi-Week:

Phung TM, Pham CT, Nguyen TQ, Ninh HT, Nguyen HQ, Bernardes M, Le ST, Ziegler T, Nguyen TT. 2023. Southbound – the southernmost record of Tylototriton (Amphibia, Caudata, Salamandridae) from the Central Highlands of Vietnam represents a new species. ZooKeys 1168:193–218. DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.1168.96091.

Other Mentioned Papers/Studies:

Claessens, L. S. A., Ganchev, N. O., Kukk, M. M., Schutte, C. J., & Sloggett, J. J. (2020). An investigation of toe-tapping behaviour in anurans by analysis of online video resources. Journal of Zoology, 312(3), 158–162. https://doi.org/10.1111/jzo.12815

Other Links/Mentions:

Caramaschi U., Nascimento LB, Silvano D. 2004. Dendropsophus jimi. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2004: e.T55520A11324324. http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2004.RLTS.T55520A11324324.en

Call of Dendropsophus jimi from: https://amphibiaweb.org/cgi/amphib_query?where-genus=Dendropsophus&where-species=jimi 

Editing and Music:

Podcast edited by Wojciech– https://www.fiverr.com/buczar 

Intro/outro – Treehouse by Ed Nelson

Species Bi-week theme – Michael Timothy

Other Music – The Passion HiFi, https://www.thepassionhifi.com