Licking frogs for a living? Come on, we all know the fairy tales are fiction! So why do people actually do it? Let’s investigate…
Certain types of frogs have toxic chemicals on their skins. These skin secretions can contain very important chemicals (like that of the South American “shrinking frog” that has shown it could be used to treat diabetes). Scientists studying these frogs are usually in a jungle kilometres from a fully equipped chemical lab. Obtaining skin samples to take back home is also very difficult. The brave men and women therefore use their tongues to detect the important compounds found on the amphibians.
If this sounds like your dream career, be careful. Don’t go licking the next frogs you see. Especially not the brightly coloured ones that give off a foul smell… Leave it to the expert tongues.
And you thought only chicken was ‘finger-lickin good’!
Source: National Geographic
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