_Red-eyed
treefrog eggs are laid on leaves overhanging neotropical ponds. After
about six days of undisturbed development, embryos hatch and fall into
the pond below. If attacked by an egg predator, such as a snake, embryos
can hatch early to escape (see a Video of
this behavior).
_They detect predators using the vibrations
excited during attacks.
_Karen
Warkentin, Greg McDaniel,
and I have adapted a number of techniques used in the field of mechanical
engineering to study how red-eyed treefrog embryos use vibrations to
discriminate between predator attacks and harmless disturbances, such
as rainstorm.
_For more information and
another video, click
here.
A vibration-sensitive accelerometer embedded in an egg clutch.
