# Twitchy Middle toe



## bipolarbabe (Nov 23, 2009)

My hearty, thriving, eating, pooping machine has a weird tick, his middle toe on each foot twitches. Really weird, just wondered if it is her (or him) or is this common. Thanks.


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## Leuc_Skywalker (Sep 5, 2009)

My frogs all do the same thing. I'm not sure of the biology behind it but I believe it's completely normal. Maybe it's morse code for "FEED ME MORE FLIES"


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## tachikoma (Apr 16, 2009)

It's a common behavior which seems to be related to when they hunt. Reminds me of my cats' tail when she's hunting, it starts to swing from side to side.


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## garweft (Mar 11, 2008)

It was a surprise to me as well when I got my first Tincs. I had read a lot but never heard anyone say anything about it. It's one of my favorite things about watching them hunt.


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## RarePlantBroker (Aug 3, 2008)

I've noticed this with all three of my Tinc. morphs (four if you want to include Azureus). I can't say that I've ever seen this with any of my other species. Has anyone else noticed toe tapping in other frogs?


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## james67 (Jun 28, 2008)

pumilio

james


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## dam630 (Dec 11, 2009)

I think because most of their hunting is based on movement the toe-tapping is something they do to try to scare up bugs and get them to move. Evolution has taught them that the toe-tappers get more food for less effort. So, it just becomes instinctive, for some species anyway. Perhaps the other species that do not tap have better eyesight and have no need to see movement in order to target their prey.


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## RarePlantBroker (Aug 3, 2008)

james67 said:


> pumilio
> 
> james


Thanks, James. I hadn't noticed this--I guess I need to watch my pumilio's a little more carefully.


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## DKOOISTRA (May 28, 2009)

My auratus (blue bronze), variabilis and tinks (new river) all tap dance...
(think they get it from my daughters)
derek


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## Ed (Sep 19, 2004)

ScienceDirect - Animal Behaviour : Waving or tapping? Vibrational stimuli and the general function of toe twitching in frogs and toads (Amphibia: Anura)


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## Philsuma (Jul 18, 2006)

Ed said:


> ScienceDirect - Animal Behaviour : Waving or tapping? Vibrational stimuli and the general function of toe twitching in frogs and toads (Amphibia: Anura)


Why do we have to pay??

Hi Ed,

Is the Ceratophrys toe "luring" in that article? I'm pretty sure that's done to be able to eat smaller same species for both nutrient aquisition and elimination of potential competitors.


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## Ed (Sep 19, 2004)

The same reason I have to pay for them.. I don't have a pdf of that article just a hard copy somewhere. 


Different type of luring... 

For a full article on it in a arboreal frog see http://www.phyllomedusa.esalq.usp.br/articles/volume1/number2/129395.pdf 

for the one on Ceratophrys you want JSTOR: An Error Occurred Setting Your User Cookie and JSTOR: An Error Occurred Setting Your User Cookie

and by the ever surprising Marine toad ScienceDirect - Animal Behaviour : Deceptive digits: the functional significance of toe waving by cannibalistic cane toads, Chaunus marinus

Ed


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## ktewell (Dec 17, 2009)

I've noticed my Green & Black/Bronzes all doing this, but not my Zona Canals. Maybe it's just because they are smaller and more difficult to observe...


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## bipolarbabe (Nov 23, 2009)

Thanks, I just thought she had a nervous tic. I never thought about when she does it, but I do most of my observing during dinner time. Very cool!


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## sbreland (May 4, 2006)

DEFINITELY sounds like a bad case of Normalis activitus.


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## MonarchzMan (Oct 23, 2006)

Ed said:


> ScienceDirect - Animal Behaviour : Waving or tapping? Vibrational stimuli and the general function of toe twitching in frogs and toads (Amphibia: Anura)


I saw this article closer to when it came out, and I remain a skeptic of their conclusions. I would maintain that toe twitches relate to an elevated "emotional" state. They get excited by seeing prey, so they twitch. They get excited when they court each other, so they twitch. That is one thing that they don't even address (unless I missed it), and kind of a glaring hole in the hypothesis, IMO.

I will admit that their pedal luring seems plausible for larger anurans, especially for those species that then to be ambush predators rather than active hunters like dendrobatids tend to be.


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## RMB (Nov 26, 2009)

My leucs do it as well. Seems almost universal.


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## eos (Dec 6, 2008)

Here's a cool video of a Ceratophrys Ornata displaying toe luring:
YouTube - Ornate Horned Frog luring


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## Ed (Sep 19, 2004)

MonarchzMan said:


> I saw this article closer to when it came out, and I remain a skeptic of their conclusions. I would maintain that toe twitches relate to an elevated "emotional" state. They get excited by seeing prey, so they twitch. They get excited when they court each other, so they twitch. That is one thing that they don't even address (unless I missed it), and kind of a glaring hole in the hypothesis, IMO.
> 
> I will admit that their pedal luring seems plausible for larger anurans, especially for those species that then to be ambush predators rather than active hunters like dendrobatids tend to be.


So what mechanism would prevent it from occuring the frog is stressed by other factors? 

Ed


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## MonarchzMan (Oct 23, 2006)

If I remember correctly, I think that the routes of excitement and fear are somewhat different. And I would guess that excitement for food and excitement for courting are somewhat closely linked, as opposed to stress and excitement.


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