The brain of a northern leopard frog (Lithobates pipiens, or Rana pipiens in some sources) This brave and noble frog's noodle has been the subject of much research since the 1950's. In fact, some the earliest data in neuroscience comes directly from studying it. (NSFW, 'cause some people are put off by the idea of brains)
Very good question. I'm by no means an expert (just a frog fan), but as far as I can tell it's because they're fairly wide-spread (at least they were in the 50's) and because they're easy to keep and breed (much like lab mice) Also, they're valuable in other areas of study as well. For instance, some of the enzymes they produce could be used to treat brain and lung tumors.
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· 5 years ago
For the real reason, see comments below - it looks like a naughty bit if your mind is about 12 or younger.
Actually it would smell like that since it would have been preserved much in the way that mussels and oysters would