Snakes insert their heads into living frogs’ bodies to swallow their organs (because nature is horrifying)

In two new studies, researchers identified more snakes that disembowel frogs to eat their organs, a gruesome habit that was only recently discovered. Source: https://www.livescience.com/snakes-gut-living-frogs-and-toads.html

Toads on tropical islands are rapidly shrinking as they evolve

Toads that were introduced to two tropical islands in the 1920s are now a third smaller than their mainland peers, possibly a sign of remarkably rapid evolution Source: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2259999-toads-on-tropical-islands-are-rapidly-shrinking-as-they-evolve/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=home…

Do Animals Really Anticipate Earthquakes? Sensors Hint They Do

An anonymous reader quotes Scientific American:
For centuries, people have described unusual animal behavior just ahead of seismic events: dogs barking incessantly, cows halting their milk, toads leaping from ponds… Now researchers at the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior and the University of Konstanz, both in Germany, along with a multinational team of colleagues, say they have managed to precisely measure…

Brazilian toads that eat scorpions can survive the venom of ten stings

Brazil’s yellow cururu toads eat scorpions, and they can survive 5 times the dose of scorpion venom that would kill a mouse – the same as ten stings Source: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2236988-brazilian-toads-that-eat-scorpions-can-survive-the-venom-of-ten-stings/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=home…

Brazilian toads that eat scorpions can survive the venom of 10 stings

Brazil’s yellow cururu toads eat scorpions, and they can survive five times the dose of scorpion venom that would kill a mouse – the same as 10 stings Source: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2236988-brazilian-toads-that-eat-scorpions-can-survive-the-venom-of-10-stings/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=home…

How fireflies glow and what signals they’re sending

Are the gentle blinks of fireflies flashing a favorite part of your summer evenings? An entomologist explains some lightning bug basics. Source: https://earthsky.org/earth/how-fireflies-glow-light-up-and-signals…

Smoking Psychedelic Toad Milk May Help Depression

No, you’re not going to need a really small stool to sit on while you milk them, but you may want to check with a medical professional before trying to smoke the milk of psychedelic toads … which a new study claims can alleviate depression for up to a month. How? Take a deep, non-toad-milk… Read more » Source: https://mysteriousuniverse.org/2019/05/smoking-psychedelic-toad-milk-may-help-depression/…