They say love is a…mixtape of frog songs?!
This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down On Science.
Ryan Calsbeek, from Dartmouth University, and colleagues recorded male frog choruses in the wild during mating season. Different recordings were overlaid—think fake froggie boy bands—to see which mating call combinations attracted females most. Some bands had matching high or low pitch mating calls, others had a mix.
Turns out the hottest pond songs – think Beatlemania – were and we quote “those with the most uniform sound.” Holding deep bass lines as a chorus had the most mating success.
So the croak is on! Midnight show at the log—afterparty at my lily PAD, gals! With the finest white BRINE! And gourmet flies. Ribbit.
Reference: Calsbeek, R., Zamora‐Camacho, F. J., & Symes, L. B. (2022). Individual contributions to group chorus dynamics influence access to mating opportunities in wood frogs. Ecology Letters, 25(6), 1401–1409. https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.14002