Seven new species of tree frogs Boophisfound in the rainforests of Madagascar, emit special bird-like whistling sounds when communicating with other frogs.
These whistles reminded the research team, led by Professor Miguel Vences of Technische Universität Braunschweig, Germany, of Star Trek, where whistle-like sound effects are frequently used. The work was published in Vertebrate Zoology.
“That’s why we named the frogs after Kirk, Picard, Sisko, Janeway, Archer, Burnham and Pike – seven of the most iconic captains in the sci-fi show,” says Professor Vences.
“Not only do these frogs sound like Star Trek sound effects, but you also often have to do quite a bit of hiking to find them. A few species are found in places accessible to tourists, but to find some of these species, we had to undertake major expeditions into remote forest patches and mountaintops,” explains Assistant Professor Mark D. Scherz of the Museum of Natural History of Denmark from the University of Copenhagen, who was the lead author of the study.
Special bird-like whistling sounds
The strange calls of these frogs are known as “advertising calls” – a type of self-promotion that researchers say can convey information to females about the male frog’s mating ability.
This particular group lives along fast-flowing streams in the most mountainous regions of Madagascar – a strong backdrop that could explain why the frogs call out at such high pitches, he writes Phys.org.
“If frogs sang like our familiar European frogs, they might not be heard over the sound of running water in the rivers they live near. Their high-pitched trills and whistles stand out in all this noise,” explains Dr. Jörn Köhler, senior curator of vertebrate zoology at the Hessisches Landesmuseum Darmstadt, Germany, who played a key role in analyzing the frogs’ calls.
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“The frogs’ appearance has caused them to be confused with similar species until now, but each species emits a distinctive series of high-pitched whistles, which has allowed us to distinguish them from each other and from other frogs,” he says.
The cries also match the team’s genetic analysis.
Madagascar is renowned for its immense biodiversity, and research in its rainforests continues to uncover hidden species, making it a veritable frog paradise. Madagascar, an island the size of France, is home to about 9% of all the world’s frog species.
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Source: www.descopera.ro
