Question: What Is It The Helps Tree/Torrent Frogs To Stick To Wet/Slippery Surfaces

Diana Samuel answered on 21 Jun 2011:

Tree frogs are known to use an adhesive mechanism termed wet adhesion. They release a fluid from their toe pads (mucus), and the 2 forces that are generated (capillarity and Stefan adhesion) help them to remain attached to a surface. It is assumed that this mechanism may not function in the same way for torrent frogs, since their toe pads are submerged in water (so capillarity will not work anymore); instead, its assumed that the shape of their toe pad cells allows most of the water that’s underneathe the pads to be drained away (in the same way that a car tire removes rain water) so that the pads can get close enough to the surface to make good contact.