News Animals

Cricket frogs belly flop their way across water

Their movement is a form of "porpoising," leaping in and out of the water to travel

Close-up photo of a cricket frog lying on a lily pad with its head and front legs extended into the water.

Cricket frogs (shown) leap in and out of the water to travel across it rather than hopping on its surface, according to a new study.

Jake Socha

By McKenzie Prillaman

Cricket frogs can’t walk (or hop) on water like once thought.

Their bodies sink below the surface between successive jumps, researchers report in the November Journal of Experimental Biology.