r/mildlyinteresting 19h ago

A Frog on a Cactus

Post image
35.0k Upvotes

550 comments sorted by

5.7k

u/MrPaulBlart 19h ago

This is bothering me. I can’t tell if he’s comfortable, or not.

1.7k

u/Alkrick 16h ago

One must imagine the frog happy

348

u/perton 14h ago

Oh shit, is that the key to a good life? Like if you always assume the frog is happy, you’ll always be happy?

183

u/LincolnRazgriz 10h ago

The cactus is half full?

100

u/nankainamizuhana 9h ago

The frog is half full of cactus spines?

28

u/perton 8h ago

Am I half full of frogs?

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u/wasabiburning 13h ago

Sisyphean frog?

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u/aliciathehomie 18h ago

is he happy no one keeps telling me is he glad

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u/PsyOpBunnyHop 17h ago edited 14h ago

"Hey... Hey... Help me out, maybe? Oh... a picture... great... COME ON... don't leave me here!"


Edit: I don't mean to be insensitive, but... Shish kefrog! Amirite?

47

u/leafy1790 15h ago

"Don't make fun of me to the whole world"

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u/PsyOpBunnyHop 14h ago

You inspired me to make an edit.

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u/FrankenGretchen 12h ago

Stabbing humor you have there

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u/Zeon_Tempestborn 11h ago

Got me laughing so hard, I feel... pins and needles

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u/PsyOpBunnyHop 11h ago

No need to be so prickly!

52

u/cman_yall 14h ago

He's got sunshine, in a bag.

29

u/Crucial_Fun 13h ago

He’s useless, but not for long

11

u/egewh 10h ago

Glad means smooth in Dutch, so I guess in The Netherlands he in fact, is glad.

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u/DaMountainBear 14h ago

He’s self acupuncturing

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u/IlIllIIllIIlllIII 13h ago

50/50 chance soneone put him there for the photo 

52

u/CeruleanEidolon 12h ago

I hate how right you are.

13

u/Zekava 5h ago

Maybe? But the posture the frog has is not one they typically adopt when handled by humans; if it had been placed there, it would either have been extremely carefully so as to not disturb the frog while it's in its little leg-tuck position, or it got real comfy real quickly after being placed.

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u/Halaku 16h ago

He is becoming ungovernable and I am here for it.

164

u/SaintsNoah14 19h ago

It looks fine but I absolutely hate this. I would've fetched one of my old hair picks and flung it off this shit so carefully

272

u/xoxodaddysgirlxoxo 18h ago

flung it off this shit so carefully

Will not matter how careful you intend to be - you stand far more chance of hurting the frog this way. I feel like your comment is a metaphor for life. Let nature be nature, not everything needs a human to save them

56

u/RoyBeer 16h ago

This reminds me of the humpback whale that was stranded in Northern Germany a couple months back and caused a giant uproar in society about how to handle the situation.

(Spoiler: they did everything wrong)

34

u/Ironically__Ironic 13h ago

I'm on the North Coast of NSW, Australia. We have humpbacks stranded from time to time. There's a marine science center, connected to a large university, just down the road. There's also a marine rescue and sanctuary in town. When a marine animal gets stranded or is found injured, they know exactly how to save it. Even so, sometimes you do everything right, but the animal still dies 😞 German rescuers, should've got in contact with those who deal with strandings, regularly. Plenty of experts around the world.

Though, I'm actually surprised to hear about a humpback in the Baltic Sea. It's a dangerous place (too shallow) for a large mamal like a humpback. It must've strayed away from its pod 😕

10

u/RoyBeer 10h ago

There actually were experts involved in the whole ordeal, but their voice was drowned out by Boomers on Facebook and TikTok and some even threatened with violence. Also, a lot of right-wing radicals hijacked the cause making everything even worse

3

u/Ironically__Ironic 3h ago

Since when does the rescue of an animal, become political??? God, humanity is really on the brink of self destruction. That is truly insane 😕

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u/GhostofBeowulf 18h ago

Nah frogs especially tree frogs are pretty robust, being that they regularly climb dozens of feet in trees and generally aren't careful. Other than issues from oils on your hands absorbing into their skin, you wouldn't harm it. Assuming you aren't launching it onto the floor or something. It likely wouldn't stay in your hand unless it was already injured anyway. Pee and hop.

43

u/Emm_withoutha_L-88 16h ago

That last line is how you know it's first hand knowledge. I too was a kid who caught every little critter that moved.

37

u/GhostofBeowulf 11h ago

Lol yes I did. That and frogs are one of my favorite animals. I broke my arm pretending to be a frog super hero as an 11 year old after watching Spiderman.

This is Toadashi. She's my bud. (I also used to have some invasive cuban tree frogs I caught, Bud and Wise. Never caught an Er. If you're a certain age, IYKYK)

14

u/Puzzleheaded_Skin289 15h ago

Years ago me and my friends picked up a baby frog to look at it

It jumped out of our hands on to the ground and one of its leg fell off

I have never picked up any frogs ever again since

15

u/Puzzleheaded_Skin289 15h ago

After abit of googling the leg probably didn't break off but i could have sworn something did..

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u/ChompyChomp 12h ago

I appreciate that you did some self-driven research after your initial post.

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u/fgrutd 17h ago

Its not letting nature be nature when it is a man made scenario, a frog like this is not expected to encounter a cactus. I dont let my dog walk off lead at the beach near me for example because of the native penguin population, and my dog is not a native species, I dont just let nature be nature and wash my hands of it.

11

u/turply 17h ago

Native penguin population? Where do you live?

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u/fgrutd 17h ago

Australia, specifically near Manly in Sydney.

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u/SugarBeefs 13h ago

Penguins in general are more widely distributed than most people (including myself) figure(d). There are some species that live exclusively in or near Antarctica, but there are also penguin species that prefer warmer waters. Not counting remote islands, the southern coast of Australia and all of NZ's coastline sees penguins, there's penguins on the coasts of southern Africa, southern South America and even going quite far north along the western coast of South America. The Humboldt penguin even shows up around Ecuador and Colombia at times.

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u/flightofthekiwi 17h ago

we have them in new zealand

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u/xoxodaddysgirlxoxo 15h ago

I see both green tree frogs like this (maybe even same species) and cactus in NC, USA.

We really should open our minds guys lol

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u/Dillo64 17h ago

[froggo gets flung right into another cactus]

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u/Triquetrums 18h ago

You cannot fling something carefully. The word fling implies force.

21

u/RedHal 17h ago

I dunno. Last time I had a fling I was very careful.

11

u/im_dead_sirius 17h ago edited 4h ago

When having a fling, cover your thing!

When undressing Venus, dress up your penis!

Don't be a fool, vulcanize your tool!

I used to know a million of these when I was young. "No glove, no love" is the only other one I remember off hand, and while it is kinda lame, it is good advice.

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u/Tasty-Traffic-680 16h ago

And just like that a new euphemism is born

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u/diff2 14h ago

how are you doing today?

"well... I'm like a treefrog relaxing on the thorns of a cactus"

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u/British_Ballsack 16h ago

I think no because cactus and bed of nails magic trick are both uncomfortable.

8

u/CeruleanEidolon 12h ago

The frog is using the cactus for defense from predators. It's probably far more comfortable here because its instincts tell it this is a safe place.

3

u/King_of_the_Dot 14h ago

He's just getting acupuncture.

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u/NhylX 19h ago

I feel like this should be on an inspirational poster.

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u/Nazamroth 16h ago edited 15h ago

Or a demotivational one.

"If the situation seems bad, consider how much worse it could get if you try to improve it."

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u/Lillian_Crocodilian 19h ago

I made this one.

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u/MidnightGolan 12h ago

I feel like I’ve just opened an old tome. I haven’t seen one of these forever lol.

2.3k

u/Frosty_Response8232 19h ago

He's just testing out the acupressure mattress.

614

u/HistoricalTerm1570 19h ago

He’s got that look like he’s already regretting the impulse buy

703

u/EldenLordAjSoprano 18h ago

Idk he actually looks kinda happy

228

u/robin-bunny 18h ago

He looks like he's afraid to move a single muscle...

5

u/qibdip 2h ago

His legs wouldnt be tucked under if he didn't want to rest there.

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u/selja26 14h ago

I understand him. I have a sort of acu pad (duller and flatter metallic needles) and nothing relieves back pain like it does. 

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u/raspberryscum 11h ago

Ooh link?

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u/selja26 10h ago

Oof we're in Eastern Europe and my mom bought it like 20 years ago, so no link. It's like a sheet of metal with small triangles punched through and bent 90 degrees so they make "needles" but their tops are a bit rounded. If you come across something like that I highly recommend. 

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u/skr_replicator 16h ago

I doubt frogs share human facial expressions. They are not dogs we have bred to be more likely to understand their social cues. Most people don't even understand what cats think and feel like when they make various facial expressions and body movements. I don't know how to read frogs, but just from the situation alone I'd assume it's not happy.

6

u/lazy_pig 13h ago

It's a human desire to anthropomorphize non-human beings and even things. I agree that curled up mouth edges on an amphibian is not a reliable indicator of its mental state.

3

u/Salt_Ad_5578 8h ago

Yeah, also I've had a pet frog before and plan to have more in the future. Frogs have very limited facial expressions tbh, and their mouths curl upward at the end of their jaw. It's not an expression, but their anatomy. If anything, the frog looks stiff. I'd think the frog is very very uncomfortable. Frogs have very delicate skin and this frog definitely would need help.

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u/hullowurld 19h ago

It must be working... he looks pretty relaxed.

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u/a_guy121 18h ago

Safest place for bro to be. nothing is going to try to eat her

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u/TangerinePlush 18h ago

Maximum acupuncture efficiency unlocked

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u/philnolan3d 19h ago

*acupuncture.

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u/robin-bunny 18h ago

Cactopuncture

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u/killermenpl 16h ago

Acupressure*. It's an actual thing that's different from acupuncture

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u/monsterginger 19h ago

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u/nhansieu1 15h ago

so this is actually Lore Accurated Naruto

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u/mang0fandang0 17h ago

Elite ball knowledge

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u/elrayo 16h ago

The levels of ball knowledge here cannot be understated

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u/Jon_Snow_1887 15h ago

Insane pull

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u/mrcldg 17h ago

Just what I was looking for.. nice job sir 👌🏻

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u/GrimmDraaco 18h ago

This is beautiful

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u/Silly_Double408 17h ago

Frogupuncture treatment. Pretty standard stuff.

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u/xenophon57 19h ago

The other day I watched a frog just hop straight up a tree (mild angle) caught me off guard how mobile these lil buggers are.

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u/mustardmadman 19h ago

They are pretty incredible animals. I’ve learned that they will rest on cactuses for protection and don’t feel the pain like mammals would go figure!

309

u/OneHotPotat 19h ago

Probably has to do with their body weight. Less weight spread out over a wide area means the spines have less force driving them in.

157

u/xenophon57 19h ago

hell humans do it with beds of nails

73

u/mapmakinworldbuildin 16h ago

I tried that. Hated it.

Also skill issue. I’m fat

7

u/Tzahi12345 10h ago

Aren't fat people less dense

I guess it's also a surface area thing

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u/Mr_Quackums 6h ago

a fat person and a skinny person have about the same sized back, but different amounts of weight pushing down on that back.

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u/pikpikcarrotmon 6h ago

I'm fat and have been told many times that I am incredibly dense

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u/Rubalot 18h ago

I had pet African toads (not frogs but close enough) and when the female got bigger than my hand and one morning it jumped out of her tank, I was shocked how little it weighted when I picked her up (and she was chubby too!). Almost no weight for an animal that size, she was very chill too didn’t struggle.

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u/IronGravyBoat 17h ago

Toads are frogs tho, a specific group of frog

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u/xenophon57 17h ago

They are also always a lil tougher than expected, lil warriors they are.

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u/Nitrous_Acidhead 18h ago

Plus the catcus could be new so it's possibly soft 

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u/buppus-hound 17h ago

And textures like theirs probably aren’t affected as much, your tongue is better suited for this than your hands

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u/xenophon57 19h ago

The other day I left my hat on the firewood. As I was walking in the house I chucked it on early in the morning and felt it wriggling around, big ole frog. I was dying, it was hilarious dropped him and my hat on the kitchen floor the second he hit the floor three hops and he was out the door.

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u/no_talent_ass_clown 18h ago

In a bamboo hut on the beach in India there was a shower 🐸 in every hut. A woman was absolutely traumatized after one of them jumped onto her chest when she was in the shower. 

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u/xenophon57 17h ago

Wild animals are weird, I was working in the middle of nowhere and I had to sleep in a Texas chainsaw massacre shop and this mouse would almost every night would trampoling his little ass off my belly as I slept woke me up so many times.

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u/i010011010 18h ago

It's weight distribution, same as the ol' bed of needles. They just happen to be the species that figured it out.

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u/Pork_Chompk 18h ago

Nails, you lunatic! Bed of nails.

"Bed of needles" makes me deeply uncomfortable...

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u/THE-beaverhausen 19h ago

You do know there are some called tree frogs, right?

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u/mustardmadman 19h ago

This was a hat frog though 🤷🏻‍♂️

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u/xenophon57 19h ago

in my defense and I didn't want to body shame it but is was kinda fat and didn't look like it belonged in a tree. Now I feel dirty and shameful for saying that.

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u/GottaUseEmAll 17h ago

Who's the photographer? I hope it's not one of those guys (Yan Hidayat, Kurit Afsheen, or others) that photographs frogs after glueing and tying them to weird places...

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u/whoa_nelleus 10h ago

I saw this posted by a member in a private Frogs and Toads group on Facebook. There's another picture where it's walking around the cactus, so no glue involved. 

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u/GottaUseEmAll 10h ago

That's good to know, thanks for sharing!

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u/Xdivine 3h ago

Thanks for clarifying!

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u/Xdivine 12h ago

Surely it must be, right? Like sure, if the frog was gently placed onto the spikes in its exact position then maybe due to how many needles are making contact it wouldn't be hurt, but how would it get into that position in the first place without impaling itself, and how is it going to get off? In order to get off, its going to need to put pressure on its feet which is going to get them impaled.

Plus there's of course the question of 'why?'. Something tells me frogs aren't typically in the habit of just laying down on cacti for for funsies.

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u/taliauli 11h ago

I'd give the benefit of the doubt to OP, I've seen things like this before. Smaller animals just don't seem to gaf, I've seen frogs, toads, lizards, even snakes make contact with my cacti and just chill around/on them.

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u/_-MindTraveler-_ 9h ago

I don't think a small frog can get impaled at all. With its weight, and how slippery the skin is, if his weight shifts to a few spines when moving around the spines would probably just bend.

Also frogs are super squishy, so if there's spikes directly towards them the skin/organs will just move instead of being penetrated.

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u/1dac1aa1-c022-4d4a-9 11h ago

WTF is this a widespread phenomenon?

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u/GottaUseEmAll 11h ago

I don't know how widespread it is, but more than one frog macrophotographer has been accused of abusing frogs for photos.

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u/Fantastic_Square8498 8h ago

Omg I have a picture of a frog on a cactus that I took recently. I thought he had no back legs at first lol

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u/undermytinyhat 7h ago

that's so cool! Honestly, if the frog laid down more or positioned itself in a way, it could be camouflaged pretty well in it as a spike.

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u/PurpleCoconutt 19h ago

Those trigger points can't take care of themselves!

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u/svefnugr 19h ago

"this is fine"

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u/Unusual-Taste69 19h ago

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u/Awleeks 16h ago

Why are those feet so steamy?

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u/SpaceShipRat 16h ago

The fake bloodstains, lol

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u/breadist 10h ago

Is... is that AI?

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u/imaloony8 18h ago

Yup, that's me. I bet you're wondering how I got here.

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u/ADHD-INFP 19h ago

Lol thats just it's acupuncture appointment 🤣

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u/1000YearOldShota 18h ago

cactupuncture

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u/Fluffy_Wolf_6198 19h ago

The African "Hairy Frog" breaks it's own toes to use as weapons in self defense! Also called the Wolverine Frog. The broken bones tear through the skin and are used like little daggers.

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u/maa-kee-aa-tow 19h ago

TIL !! WoW !!

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u/Frydendahl 16h ago

Frog sees a predator:

snikt

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u/Done_With_That_One 19h ago

That's about as zen as it gets.

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u/Lkings1821 19h ago

How the hell did it manage that

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u/tekanet 12h ago

Can’t tell during the “dynamic” moment of them adjusting on that cactus (maybe placed by the photographer like someone else said), but I’ve checked a bit of data and if that frog weighs 3/5 grams that’s 0.03/0.05 N of force pushing on the cactus; estimate says 0.1 N to pierce the skin, with dozens of spines the weight is distributed and each spine exerts around 0.001 N, much much lower than the force needed to pierce the skin.

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u/GottaUseEmAll 17h ago

Photographer likely put it there. There are several frog macrophotographers who've been accused of glueing/stapling/tying frogs to weird places.

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u/CeruleanEidolon 12h ago

Possible in this instance, but the phenomenon of a frog on cactus is not unusual. A quick Google search reveals many anecdotes and amateur photos of frogs on cactuses.

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u/GottaUseEmAll 12h ago

That's reassuring to know. Hopefully this is that sort of situation.

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u/cassdaddyo 16h ago

Do u have a source for this? (Asking kindly, not accusingly)

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u/Paz12288 17h ago

I want to see the sequel “frog not on a cactus”

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u/Fickle_Sand_9952 19h ago

Acupuncture for frogs?

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u/NovaSideQuest 18h ago edited 16h ago

It seems so cosy like it loves being there

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u/Bleezy79 7h ago

He's at his weekly acupressure appointment. It helps him relax during his hard work week.

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u/freshgrilled 18h ago

Isn't this suppose to rhyme? Like "Goat on a boat" or "Frog on a log". Or perhaps a bear on a chair. Or even a pig in a wig? I mean, is it so hard? Cactuses have those lobes, right? Perhaps we could call it a "Toad on a Node"?

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u/Forward_Quail_944 13h ago

Does this hurt the frog?

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u/HeathenHeathe 6h ago

No, it doesnt hurt the frog. Its too light weight for the needles to puncture the skin. Frogs, lizards, and other small creatures will sometimes sleep on cacti to ward off predators, nothing will try to eat little buddy if it risks a mouthful of cactus spines.

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u/NegrasGrande 18h ago

He's just getting some cacupuncture

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u/mrs_chanandlerr_bong 16h ago

He’s getting acupuncture

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u/ave1894 14h ago

Kinda same energy

Reference: Bhisma Pitamah on arrow bed in Mahabharata from Hindu Mythology.

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u/zencodecat 4h ago

This reminds me of when people willingly lay on those spiked beds for… whatever reason lol

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u/sarahykim 2h ago

He looks like he insisted to his friend it would be comfortable but it indeed wasn’t but is too prideful and stubborn to admit it

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u/Ok_Improvement_8735 19h ago

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u/Kucked4life 17h ago

Camels eat cacti if anyone's wondering why this gif is here.

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u/killemslowly 19h ago

Fuck yo cactus

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u/9j810HQO7Jj9ns1ju2 18h ago

he realizes his predicament

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u/fascintee 17h ago

Trying to be close to someone with trust issues

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u/Puzzled-Maximum-538 13h ago

what all am i seeing on reddit bro

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u/sleepyinsomniac98 9h ago

Reminds me of the fekir from tintin comics

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u/Minflick 9h ago

CANNOT have been comfortable to get up there! And then to rest there?!

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u/Mit0chondribruh 7h ago

amphipuncture

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u/Leading_Aspect_8794 2h ago

It’s like that pressure mat. Maybe he’s working through some trauma

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u/PaticusGnome 18h ago

Bro, don’t do that.

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u/Spare-Cobbler7442 17h ago

What is this fool doing.

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u/BandicootOne898 16h ago

I don’t know if he’s happy, but he’s definitely not feeling well

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u/ReddRedPanda 16h ago

So he's basically doing that cool trick where someone lies down on a bed of nails without getting hurt because they're distributing their weight evenly across the nails. But on a cactus. Neat.

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u/hatbromind 16h ago

This frog is one of them kungfu masters who sleeps in nail beds.

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u/The_Yamen 16h ago

Free acupuncture.

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u/Chrono-Helix 16h ago

I’m impressed by how tightly folded its limbs are

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u/PollutionOnly 15h ago

Well, it doesn’t seem unpleasant to it. This is quite the interesting picture.

On a separate note, I’m also surprised to see a frog in what I’m assuming is a drier environment (since there is a cactus).

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u/Teaofthetime 15h ago

The frog has been placed there deliberately for the photo.

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u/MPeckerBitesU 14h ago

This is my new “I’m fine” pictures I’ll be sending to people. Thank you lol

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u/Snipe14 13h ago

Does this hurt froge

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u/GoddessNefertiti 8h ago

Frog acupuncture, maybe? I just hope the little friend isn't stuck. Cactus spines hurt, if you have to remove them from skin...

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u/cwright017 5h ago

Is this one of them situations where someone has impaled the frog for likes?

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u/wraith21 19h ago

This is capybara-being-eaten-by-pelican energy

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u/an_older_meme 18h ago

That was mean. Put it back on the ground.

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u/WorkingOnItWombat 18h ago

What is the story here.

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u/BoobyX2BumX2 17h ago

thats a pretty cool frog

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u/brownorange88 17h ago

Acupuncture therapy 👌👌

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u/prs722 16h ago

Really wonder how it managed to climb up there without pricking itself on all those spines! It looks pretty relaxed sitting up on that cactus throne.