To browse Academia. The celebrated jumping frogs of Calaveras County: how far can a frog really jump? True performance limits, as defined by maximal physiological function, can be difficult to identify. Estimating maximal performance often relies on subjective criteria, and may be hindered by limited sample size, time, and variability in behavior. Our interest in the maximal jumping performance of frogs led us to the 82nd annual Calaveras County Jumping Frog Jubilee, where large numbers of frogs Rana catesbeiana , standardized rules, numerous trials and competitors' years of experience improves the chance of measuring true maximal performance.
We used an HD camcorder to record a sequence of three jumps for each competing bullfrog. During the three-day competition, we recorded and analyzed more than 3, jumps from nearly 1, individuals. The distributions of jump distances revealed the influence of competitors' expertise.
Frog jumping "professionals", who bring their own frogs and compete annually, elicited jumps that were skewed to long distances. The jump distances produced by "civilians" using rental frogs provided by the organizers were shorter and followed a normal distribution. The longest jump distance recorded was 2. These values challenge the notion that semi-aquatic ranids are relatively poor jumpers due to functional trade-offs between swimming and jumping.
The results of this study demonstrate the potential limitations of quantifying maximal performance in a laboratory setting. Maximal performance is an essential metric for understanding many aspects of an organism's biology, but it can be difficult to determine because a measured maximum may reflect only a peak level of effort, not a physiological limit. We used a unique opportunity provided by a frog jumping contest to evaluate the validity of existing laboratory estimates of maximum jumping performance in bullfrogs Rana catesbeiana.
We recorded video of bullfrog jumps over the course of the 4-day contest at the Calaveras County Jumping Frog Jubilee, and determined jump distance from these images and a calibration of the jump arena.
