By Susan Milius
PROVIDENCE, R.I. ― Rumors of the great jumping frogs of Calaveras County have not been greatly exaggerated.
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The longest jump reported in scientific papers for an American bullfrog is almost 1.3 meters, says Henry Astley of Brown University in Providence, R.I. Yet new measurements have added almost a meter to that record by using California’s Calaveras County Fair as a testing ground for determining maximal species performance. Inspired by a Mark Twain story from 1865, the fair has for 83 years featured a highly competitive jumping-frog contest.
To find out how far frogs can leap in a single bound, researchers had to measure for themselves, because the contest is based on the total distance covered in three jumps.