Frog spurn: female frogs fake their own deaths to avoid unwanted attention from males

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2023-10-11 10:01

International

Richard Bartz, Munich aka Makro Freak Image:MFB.jpg, CC BY-SA 2.5 , via Wikimedia Commons

European common frogs are explosive breeders, concentrating their mating season into very short time windows which lead to fierce competition among the males. During these mating events several males may cling on tightly to one female, which can result in her death. New research shows that female frogs have several behaviours which help avoid this unwanted attention, including rotating their bodies to escape from the males, making "release calls" such as grunts or squeals, and on some occasions even feigning death. These behaviours show that female frogs are not as passive or helpless as was previously thought.

Media release

From: The Royal Society

Male and female reproductive strategies may clash, causing problems for both. Males may harass, coerce or intimidate females into mating, which could result in the death of the female or both. Explosively breeding frog species experience this conflict; mating events take place in a short period of time, attracting many individuals. Our research on European common frogs shows that females can avoid males. Small females are better at this, using tactics such as turning, calling or thanatosis. This 'faking death' is rare but effective. Previously thought to be passive, explosive breeding frog females show active strategies to escape unwanted attention.

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Journal/
conference: Royal Society Open Science

Research:Paper

Organisation/s: Leibniz Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity Science, Germany, University of Jyväskylä, Finland

Funder: This study was supported by a PhD scholarship from the state of Berlin (Elsa Neumann Foundation) awarded to CD. Material costs were covered by the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin.

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