Valerie Clark: Frog Licking For Science On Nat Geo's AMAZING! (VIDEO)

Valerie Clark has an interesting way of conducting her research on frogs and salamanders -- she licks them!

This video from National Geographic shows Clark's unsavory test to decide which specimens are worthy of bringing back to the lab. Many of the amphibians secrete poisonous substances when trying to fend off predators, but rather than study every single critter, Clark employs her taste buds to find the ones most worthy of studying.

Fortunately, Clark knows which ones are safe to taste, as one wrong lick could prove extremely toxic to a human.

Watch amazing stories likes this and others, when the new show Nat Geo AMAZING! premieres on Friday, July 9th at 7pm EST on the National Geographic Channel.

WATCH licking frogs in the name of science:

Comments

[chaapai]

09:03 PM on 07/11/2010

Yeah, "science" I am sure that's the reason.

No, no officer I was smoking that for "science"! So cant I get a warning this time?

[LillyKelder]

05:14 PM on 07/11/2010

Poor frog. :|

[realitycheckers]

08:47 PM on 07/10/2010

Kissing a frog is one thing but you should never lick one on the first date. That's like the second or third time out. Otherwise you get reputation ie. "Froglicker!" [shame].

[Lhnatow]

07:02 PM on 07/09/2010

"I'm not, not licking toads." Homer Simpson.

[WarriorLemming]

12:00 PM on 07/09/2010

I wouldn't/couldn't do it but if she can and it helps her studies then lick away, girl. :D

[deepintheheartoftejas]

09:43 PM on 07/08/2010

One .... two .... (CRUNCH) three!

three licks to get to the center.

[my2pesos]

08:38 PM on 07/08/2010

She just wants to get HIGH...

[WarriorLemming]

11:58 AM on 07/09/2010

lol

[Kevin Atlanta]

07:11 PM on 07/08/2010

One uses the tools provided. This is one of the newest frontiers on medical research. Gutsy girl.

[missouriwatcher]

03:10 PM on 07/08/2010

Wow! What a trip, man! I thought she was going to be licking cane toads when I first saw this posted. I am glad she is savvy enough not to be going for the poison dart frogs.

[CarolinaYankee]

12:32 PM on 07/08/2010

Looks like she is already getting warts or something on her face and hands.

[ezgoingal]

12:18 PM on 07/08/2010

She may be taking, "kissing a frog to find her prince" to an extreme. Trust me, it won't happen.

[flashblitzen]

11:45 AM on 07/08/2010

I lick toads to get stoned. I don't need a government grant for it but it may inspire an interesting screenplay. I don't condone this practice for children or the elderly.

[hellboundtrain]

10:52 AM on 07/08/2010

A true story. In about 1970, at 1 am My great college friend and I were up watching and listening to the approaching WI thunderstorm as it got closer and closer to the small town that we were in. He, a biology major, with his best friend, a herpetology (reptiles, snakes) major, suddenly pipes up to say, "Hey, the (now) pouring rain will be forcing the frogs and toads out of their homes, and so we can drive along on the forest road, slowly, and go out and collect 'em and put 'em in a bag and bring them back into town and show Crazy Phil tomorrow our collection, and then let 'em go after that!" I said, "Let's go!" So we got into the car with a big pillow cover as the bag and drove the seven several miles to the forest. Sure enough, we slid slowly through the storm and under the trees, collected three or four dozen frogs and toads. It was time to go back home. All of a sudden a tap on my shoulder, and then a thump to the back of my head, and then some things dark sailing through the air in the dark car. The folded over sack came undone and all of the things we had collected now were every where! I had to stop the car to catch them all and let them all out. We were soaked and came home with nothing, but this story. True.

[rbenjamin]

10:27 AM on 07/08/2010

Yawn! Licking amphibians is already a part of our rich cultural tapestry:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Xd9CnUK3jA

[GonzoBrawler]

10:06 AM on 07/08/2010

Wasnt there some kind of urban legend that if you lick a frog, it would make you trip, as if you took LSD? I remember something like that, has anyone else heard this?

[HorseChowda]

12:29 PM on 07/08/2010

This is from Wikipedia:

Psychoactive toad is a name used for toads from which psychoactive substances from the family of bufotoxins can be derived. The skin and venom of Bufo alvarius (Colorado River toad or Sonoran Desert toad) contain 5-MeO-DMT and bufotenin. Other species contain only bufotenin. 5-MeO-DMT and bufotenin both belong to the family of hallucinogenic tryptamines. Due to these substances the skin or venom of the toads may produce psychoactive effects when ingested. Albert Most, founder of the Church of the Toad of Light and a proponent of recreational use of Bufo alvarius venom, published a booklet titled Bufo alvarius: The Psychedelic Toad of the Sonoran Desert in 1983 which explained how to extract and smoke the secretions.

[CarolinaYankee]

12:34 PM on 07/08/2010

My dog got very ill from just putting his nose on a frog, his whole body broke out in red stripes like a candy cane..

[nomadrdw]

03:05 PM on 07/11/2010

unfortunately, the article in Wiki only points out the psychoactive toxins in the mix that the toad produces, and not the other 300 or so toxins in the mix, one of which is a neural toxin, and the mix is unpredictable, and can lead to death with just very minor over doses. DON"T lick that frog or toad.