Frog jump in super slow motion

Brown University researchers used a special high-speed videocamera capable of recording 500 frames per second to capture the majestic leap of bull frogs. Viewing the video in super slow motion enabled them to study how frogs can jump more than ten times their length. From NatGeo:

Lead researcher Manny Azizi says a conclusion from the study is the frogs’ muscles have tremendous passive flexibility, unlike mammals, whose muscles are mostly ‘stiff.’ The frogs generate a ‘ton’ of mechanical energy during their jumps.

Azizi says the frogs are in some ways, “cheating the limits of what muscles alone should be capable of doing.” The frog first stretches most of its hindlimb muscles while in a crouching position, making the muscles longer so they can produce much more force. That force is what propels them into the air.

Super Slo-Mo Frog Video Reveals Jumping Secrets

• [Anonymous]

  If I jumped ten times my height nice and deadly splat on the ground would follow.

• [Anonymous]

  @6 what if we move a trampoline under you before you come back down?

  Anyway the frogs jump a distance of 10 times their length, not necessarily a height.

• [PTBartman]

  Is i t just me or does this really need those cheesy “Six Million Dollar” sound effects and soundtrack?

  • [Maneki Nico]

    Aw, man, now I’m going to be making that sound in my head all day…

• [Snig]

  Good continuation of the Mark Twain theme.

• [ssll]

  Do you think that base they are sitting on shocked them to make them jump?

  I recorded some slow motion frogs last year at 300fps:

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5HmfgJogLVA

• [saru]

  And of course, the cube square law means that their jumping that great relative distance is a lot less impressive, in terms of distance per unit of muscle power, than that same relative distance would be if they were scaled to the weight of humans.

  Still fascinating.

• [Anonymous]

  “The frogs secret trick to get past the law of physics…”

  Why is it that when something is marvelous, it is commonly said to be breaking the law of physics?

  • [maybe i am a lion]

    because breaking laws is totally ultimate badass

• [Anonymous]

  mmmmm….
  best with butter, garlic & tomatoes.
  Grenouille a la Provencale
  http://www.thegutsygourmet.net/prov-froglegs.html

• [Phikus]

  More on this after the jump…

• [Anonymous]

  Want to see something neat? Watch the video again, but this time look at each frog’s eyes before they jump.

• [Anonymous]

  i fell of my bed today and it hurts…