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LiveScience
LiveScience
Jennifer Nalewicki

Brazilian tree frogs could be the 1st example of amphibians pollinating flowers, study finds

Izecksohn's Brazilian tree frogs (Xenohyla truncata) dunk themselves like doughnuts in coffee to access a flower's sweet nectar.  (Image credit: Carlos Henrique de-Oliveira-Nogueira)

While most frogs eat a diet rich in insects, one species in Brazil has its own method of nourishment: dunking itself headfirst into a flower's bulb to slurp up its sweet nectar. When the frog comes up for air, pollen grains stuck to its rust-colored body get dispersed as it hops from flower to flower in the forest.

Scientists think this could be the first time an amphibian has been observed pollinating flowering plants, according to a study published in the June issue of the journal Food Webs.

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