On: Water beetles that survive being swallowed by frog...

[phyzome]

> dank and airless internal tunnel

It can't be "dank" if it's entirely liquid filled, come on.

[imglorp → phyzome]

Slowing metabolism for a few hours is not too big a deal, but the adaptations to survive stomach acids maybe is? Frogs eat all manners of arthropods whole, without macerating, so whatever's down there is pretty aggressive.

[serf → phyzome]

>It can't be "dank" if it's entirely liquid filled, come on.

'disagreeably damp, musty, and typically cold.'

I imagine I'd describe visiting a predators GI tract as 'disagreeably damp', among other things.

An aside : I agree that I haven't heard it used in the context of submerging, but the definition seems to allot for it?

[ultrarunner → serf]

I wouldn't expect a "dank basement" to require SCUBA gear. I agree with GP that this word use struck me as odd and distracting. Not sure what I expected to read about a beetle navigating an intestinal tract, but still.

[phyzome → serf]

But probably not very cold, or musty for that matter.

And "damp" would only be used ironically to describe an entirely aqueous environment. "Hmm, I don't like the ocean, it's a bit damp."