Untitled Document
 The
male tungara frogs of Gamboa
in Panama, Central America, sing the beat of a song very similar to a 70s disco in order to attract females. Surprisingly, the
female frogs don’t like males who sing for a very long time. Instead, they prefer males that give beats,
also known as “chucks” for a shorter
time.
Tungara frogs are eaten by bats. So, the female frogs
want males that sing with more “chucks” and then quiet down quickly. Those
that sing for a longer time risk being eaten by the bats!
Karin Akre of the University of Texas U.S., and her colleagues published a study in the
journal Science detailing their research
into the frogs, as well as the bats that ate the frogs. The researchers played different
tungara frog songs to female frogs and frog-eating bats on a stereo in order to see which
speaker they approached first.
 Akre and
her team observed that the female
frogs and the bats did not always go toward the speaker producing the most “chucks.”
Instead, their preference seemed to depend upon the ratio between
“chucks.” For example, female tungara frogs always preferred two “chucks”
to one. But they didn’t always prefer three “chucks” to two.
The female frogs usually did not wait until the male finished singing.
The bats also did not wait, and quickly snapped up the male frogs
that were singing for a longer time. Therefore, female frogs are forced
to choose their male companion, based on their
vocal skills, very quickly.
That must be a lot of pressure and stress for the
male frogs! |
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