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Now Look Here Frog (Mutant Frog Or Toad With Eyes In Mouth)

liveinabin

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I was just telling the other half about a picture I had seen of a frog with eyes in it's mouth. I saw it in a book but I'm sure it must be online some where. Can anyone provide me with a link please?
 
toads, lacking teeth, grind their eyeballs on their tongues to chew food. unless that's not true.
 
No this was a 100% freak. It's eyes were in it mouth rather than on the top of it's head, they had grown in the wrong place!
 
Well, there's a reference to the picture here:
A photograph appears in the book entitled Climbing Mount Improbable by Richard Dawkins, 1996, W.W. Norton & Company, on page 97 with a caption: "Figure 3.2 Macro-mutations do happen.This freak toad with eyes in the roof of its mouth is said to have been found surviving wild in a Canadian garden. This photograph was originally published in a local newspaper, The Hamilton Spectator."
On page 96, "The toad in Figure 3.2 is said by the photographer, Scott Gardner of the Hamilton Spectator, to have been found by two girls in their garden in Hamilton, Ontario. He says that they put it on the kitchen table for him to photograph. It had no eyes at all on the outside of its head. When it opened its mouth, Mr. Gardner said, it seemed to become more aware of its surroundings."
 
The photo has appeared in FT in the past (I remember it well) - if anyone can give me the issue number I'll scan it ASAP.

I have too many issues, and too little time, to go hunting myself - sorry!
 
Here you go...

I happen to have both the book and a scanner on my desk :)
 
I think any animal would shut its eyes and scream, if a kitten had just run into its
arse! :eek:
 
at least they aren't at the end of it's tongue - then eery time it caught a fly it would be like a mini bungee jump :eek:

hmmm
 
thank you all for your help. many thanks to Roswell cat
 
Photo link is dead (whatever) ...

Here's a photo of the toad in question.

15697773_1431130410254369_5563969390776396546_n.jpg

 
One wonders whether it succeeded in mating and what the offspring were like. Was it just a developmental defect or some kind of heritable DNA decoding error?
 
One wonders whether it succeeded in mating and what the offspring were like. Was it just a developmental defect or some kind of heritable DNA decoding error?

I'm not sure what sort of genetic defect would result in inwardly-inverted eyes.

I've seen photos of the creature's exterior, and the usual eye sockets are strangely dark. I haven't seen a photo or found a description clarifying whether these represent a second pair of (perhaps under-developed) eyes in the normal location, or simply empty places where eyes should have been.

My guess is that some sort of stressor / trauma messed up the embryo's development in such a way that the eyes progressed inward rather than outward.
 
I'm not sure what sort of genetic defect would result in inwardly-inverted eyes.

I've seen photos of the creature's exterior, and the usual eye sockets are strangely dark. I haven't seen a photo or found a description clarifying whether these represent a second pair of (perhaps under-developed) eyes in the normal location, or simply empty places where eyes should have been.

My guess is that some sort of stressor / trauma messed up the embryo's development in such a way that the eyes progressed inward rather than outward.

I agree that it seems more likely to have occurred at the developmental end of business, but genetics do throw up some freak results from time to time.

Alas, I'm not qualified to speculate on the details.
 
Since it developed in a water-borne egg sac, it's possible that some sort of pollutant in the water screwed up a critical phase of the process.
 
Since it developed in a water-borne egg sac, it's possible that some sort of pollutant in the water screwed up a critical phase of the process.
This would not be so surprising i.e.: man made induced environmental factor which could degrade the formation of early pre-tadpole embryos.
Our dear amphibian friends are taking a bit of a hit. Reports show this appears to be a world wide problem. In the northeast USA some frogs and newts seem to be holding strong, i.e.: green frogs, the eastern bullfrog, most toads, tree frogs, eastern newt, the red backed salamander. However I notice that the once common pickerel and leopard frogs are few and far between and the larger spotted and tiger salamanders seem to almost disappeared.

Now to support the tread: Certain pollutants, such as heavy metals, accumulate in the body over time and some can cause DNA damage. Other pollutants can cause developmental problems. Since frogs go through a complicated metamorphosis from tadpole to adult frog, chemicals can interfere with that transformation and cause deformities or death. Fertilizer runoff can cause algae blooms and promote parasite growth. Parasites infect developing tadpoles, causing deformities. An abundance of frogs with multiple legs, deformed appendages or missing limbs is a sign of possible pollution in the area. Scientists can survey frog developmental deformities to help gauge the environmental health of a pond or stream.
 
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