Image of the Day: Wardrobe Change
The Asian common toad (Duttaphrynus melanostictus), like other amphibians, will periodically shed the outermost layer of its skin, then consume it.
The Scientist Staff
Jun 5, 2017
A Duttaphrynus melanostictus sheds its skin.
JASMINE VINK
While sloughing off their skin, amphibians can increase sodium uptake to make up for the ions that leak out, according to a new study by Australian scientists.
See N.C. Wu et al., “Living with a leaky skin: upregulation of ion transport proteins during sloughing,” Journal of Experimental Biology, doi:10.1242/jeb.151738, 2017.