North Carolina: A new scientific study has discovered the reason behind the transparent nature of glass frogs. According to the research published in the scientific journal Science, the frog is able to pool blood in its body without being negatively affected by clots.
“When they are transparent, it’s for their safety. When they are awake, they can actively evade predators, but when they’re sleeping and most vulnerable, they have adapted to remain hidden,” Mr. Junjie Yao, a Duke University biomedical engineer and study co-author, stated.
“Because they have transparent skin and other tissues, it’s the blood circulating through their bodies that would otherwise give them away. The frogs also shrink and pack together most of their internal organs,” Mr. Yao added.
Using light and ultrasound imaging technology, the researchers found that the frogs concentrate, or “hide,” nearly 90 percent of their red blood cells in their liver when they are asleep.
According to Mr. Carlos Taboada, the frog is able to clot blood when necessary, for example, when injured. “This ability to selectively pool and clot blood is the creature’s “superpower” and could open doors to a better understanding of blood clotting more generally,” Mr. Taboada observed.
The glass frog spends its days sleeping on bright green leaves in the tropical region. The creature turns itself up to 61 percent transparent, disguising itself on the leaf in order to escape the attention of predators.
When the creature wants to become active again to hunt or mate, it releases the red blood cells back into circulation, and the liver shrinks back again.
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