vellavu
Scooby
- Joined
- Oct 17, 2015
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Frogs Jump Farther When Competing at County Fair
Most frog jockeys, as human contestants are known, compete using the American bullfrog (Rana catesbeiana), a large, voracious species that has invaded the West Coast from the eastern United States. Jockeys can touch their frogs only at the beginning of the first jump. Afterward, they rely on shouting, blowing or crouching behind the frog and doing their own startling leaps to urge the frogs on.
Anyone can rent a frog at the fair to enter the contest. But many serious competitors bring their own, inspiring rumors about secret locations in the wild for catching a top jumper.
Jockey expertise in locating a top frog and inspiring it matters to performance, according to Astley’s data. Jump lengths of rental frogs showed a roughly bell-shaped distribution. In contrast, non-rental frogs showed a distribution lopsided toward the high end of jump length.
Most frog jockeys, as human contestants are known, compete using the American bullfrog (Rana catesbeiana), a large, voracious species that has invaded the West Coast from the eastern United States. Jockeys can touch their frogs only at the beginning of the first jump. Afterward, they rely on shouting, blowing or crouching behind the frog and doing their own startling leaps to urge the frogs on.
Anyone can rent a frog at the fair to enter the contest. But many serious competitors bring their own, inspiring rumors about secret locations in the wild for catching a top jumper.
Jockey expertise in locating a top frog and inspiring it matters to performance, according to Astley’s data. Jump lengths of rental frogs showed a roughly bell-shaped distribution. In contrast, non-rental frogs showed a distribution lopsided toward the high end of jump length.
