Brachycephalus ephippium, commonly known as pumpkin toadlet, is a tiny, brightly-colored and poisonous frog from the Brazilian Atlantic forest. Under natural lighting, their skin appears orange. Under UV lighting, fluorescent patterns are visible. The fluorescence could be used for intraspecific communication or as a warning signal directed at potential predators. Credit: Intense bone fluorescence reveals hidden patterns in pumpkin toadlets Sandra Goutte, Matthew J. Mason, Marta M. Antoniazzi, Carlos Jared, Didier Merle, Lilian Cazes, Luís Felipe Toledo, Hanane el-Hafci, Stéphane Pallu, Hugues Portier, Stefan Schramm, Pierre Gueriau & Mathieu Thoury Scientific Reports, DOI:
Hide player controls
Hide resume playing