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Dinesh

Dinesh club

Posted: 27 Jun 2023

Taken: 27 Jun 2023

2 favorites     2 comments    63 visits

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THE MALAY ARCHIPELAGO •
Author •
Alfred Russell Wallace •

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this photo by Dinesh

J.Garcia, buonacoppi have particularly liked this photo

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 Dinesh
Dinesh club
One of the most curious and interesting reptiles which I met with in Borneo was a large tree-frog, which was brought me by one of the Chinese workmen. He assured me that he has seen it come down, in a slanting direction, from a high tree, as if it flew. One examining it, I found the toes very long and fully webbed to their very extremity, so that when expanded they offered a surface much larger than that of the body. The fore legs were also bordered by a membrane, as the body was capable of considerable inflation. The back and limbs were of very deep shining green color, the under surface and the inner toes yellow, while the web was black, rayed with yellow the body was about four inches long, while the webs of each hind foot, when fully expanded, covered a surface of four square inches. As the extremities of the toes had dilated discs for adhesion, showing the creature to be true tree-frog, it is difficult to imagine that this immense membrane of the toes can be for the purpose of swimming only, and the account of the Chinaman, that it flew down from the tree, becomes more credible. This is, I believe, the first instance known of a “flying frog,” and it is very interesting to Darwinians as showing that the variability of the toes, which have been already modified for purposes of swimming and adhesive climbing, have been taken advantage of to enable an allied species to pass through the air like the flying lizard. It would appear to be a new species of the genus ‘rhacophorus,’ which consists of several frogs of a much smaller size than this, and having the webs of the toes less developed. ~ Page 32

THE MALAY ARCHIPELAGO
2 years ago. Edited 2 years ago.
 Boarischa Krautmo
Boarischa Krautmo club
the famous flying frog ;-)
2 years ago.

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