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Posted by on Aug 18, 2016 in TellMeWhy |

Why Do Frogs Blink Their Eyes When They Eat?

Why Do Frogs Blink Their Eyes When They Eat?

Why Do Frogs Blink Their Eyes When They Eat? Blinking its eyes helps a frog to eat. As you know, frogs catch their prey with sticky tongues. When an insect sticks to the frog’s tongue, it is quickly flicked into the frog’s mouth. A frog doesn’t chew its food. So it needs to swallow in one big gulp.

When the frog swallows, it draws its big eyeballs down onto the soft roof of its mouth. The inner bulging helps to push the food down the frog’s throat. If the food is really difficult to swallow, the frog simply uses its front feet to cram in the food. Toads also blink their eyes when they eat.

Since they use their teeth to hold their prey in place before devouring it, frogs blink while they eat in order to aid the swallowing process. Although frogs can physically consume food without blinking, it can take twice as many swallows than if they use their eye sockets to assist in the process.

Content for this question contributed by Rayellen Vanarsdall, resident of Burlington, Boone County, Kentucky, USA