Washington: A new study has revealed that male tungara frogs attempt to woo females with calls that sound like the backbeat to at least one 70’s disco song.
It said that despite the male frogs’ impressive singing, female frogs often force them to be quiet and mate before their songs are even through, reports the Discovery News.
The study also determined that the female tungara frog’s perception, or what she hears from her environment, is just as important as what the males are singing to her.
A primary reason is that bats are also often listening, waiting, and getting ready to eat frogs.
Karin Akre of the University of Texas and colleagues found this out after studying the male frog’s singing.
She discovered that the female frogs who love them — as well as the bats who eat the frogs — only listen to the males for so long.
The mating calls of this species include a whine followed by a series of grunts, or “chucks.”
The study was published in the latest issue of the journal Science.
ANI
First Published: Friday, August 05, 2011, 11:41