Friday, June 27, 2008

Wolverfrog!

It's official. We've finally done. We've reached the Marvel age. There are now 11 confirmed species that are known as Wolverfrogs as they can puncture their own skin with bony claws.
At least 11 species of African frogs carry a built-in concealed weapon — they can sprout claws on demand to fight off attackers, U.S. researchers reported on Monday.

When threatened, the frogs can puncture their own skin with sharp bones in their toes that they then use to claw their attackers, David Blackburn and colleagues at Harvard University reported.

"It's surprising enough to find a frog with claws," Blackburn, a graduate student, said in a statement.

"The fact that those claws work by cutting through the skin of the frogs' feet is even more astonishing. These are the only vertebrate claws known to pierce their way to functionality."
James "Logan" Howlett, also known as Wolverine, could not be reached for comment on this discovery.

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