Frogs stink to avoid mosquito bites

Some Australian frog species create their own insect repellent, by imitating the smell of rotten flesh, the smell of musk leaves or the smell of roasted seeds.

Research by assistant professor Mike Tyler from Adelaide University and entomologist Craig Williams from James Cook University shows that frogs produce a variety of chemicals in the skin, including the hallucinogens (the drug that causes virtual cupping), adhesives and antimicrobial agents, to cope with infections and prevent other animals that intend to eat them.

" We want to test Tyler's assumption that frogs create an insect repellent ," Williams said.

The team studied five Australian frog species, including green frogs. Using massage and acupuncture techniques, they simulate muscles beneath the frog's skin to promote excretion.

" We found frogs created many different chemicals inside the skin and they would leak out of the holes in the skin when they were stressed, " Williams said.

The secretions are different depending on many factors, such as food. Some substances are capable of chasing mosquitoes.

The team also tried to extract the excretion of an Australian green frog on a rat, and he escaped the mosquito's disturbance. Researchers say this is the first time a vertebrate has been found capable of chasing mosquitoes.

But frog excretion is not as annoying as DEET - the main ingredient of most commercial mosquito sprays. However, Williams did not believe that the study would produce a new line of natural insect repellent products.

T. An