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Posted: 14th August 2024

Research links frogs’ muscle anatomy to movement style
Frogs specialising in jumping invested in shank musculature.
The evidence suggests new significance of muscles to frogs.

New research has revealed the significance that frogs’ anatomical differences have on their movement styles.

The researchers, from the Royal Veterinary College and University College London, discovered that the way that frogs move differed significantly depending on the size of their small hip or shank muscles.

In their investigation of frog anatomy, the research team produced the world’s largest dataset of digital dissections of any vertebrate group. This include 30 species of frogs from terrestrial, arboreal and aquatic habitats in Europe, Africa, North America, South America and Oceania.

They then used imaging technology to digitally dissect each frog’s pelvis and hindlimbs.

Historically the size and shape of muscles has been linked to functional importance, since more energy has been invested in its growth. This is despite the physiological or anatomical costs it may cause.

The findings revealed that frogs which specialised in jumping and swimming invested heavily in their shank musculature. This is due to the strength needed for powerful ankle extension.

Meanwhile burrowing frogs, which need to scoop surfaces with their feet, were found to have the largest tarsal muscles.

The study is also believed to have implications for the future of frog paleontology. Researchers found that the length of bones was not necessarily a predictor of muscle mass.

There are now free 3D anatomical reconstructions available to help with understanding of amphibian musculoskeletal anatomy, supporting veterinary professionals who treat amphibians and providing educational resources.

Alice Leavey, the first author of the study, said: “While frogs have a highly conserved body plan, they use a highly diverse array of locomotor styles. Therefore, it was important for us to directly quantify and compare how the number of distinct muscles in sections of the body differ between species. This has important functional implications as it can impact the range of motion that body parts can perform.

“From schools and universities to scientists and vets, the most exciting part about this work is the massive potential for future research and education through the publication of the 3D reconstructions and annotations. We’ve even had requests from video-game developers to use them to help create more realistic characters. The list of potential uses is endless.”

The full study can be found in the Journal of Anatomy.

Image © Shutterstock



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