The chuck heard round the world
Being sexy can also mean being dinner
Rose Eveleth • June 21, 2011
The male Tungara frog wants to be sexy for his potential lady frog partners. But lady frogs have very specific tastes: They like their males to make two sounds, a whine and a chuck. Hear both on the Scienceline Podcast.
The chuck heard round the world by Scienceline
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Sound credit: Michael Ryan. These are computer-simulated recordings, used by researchers in the lab to test females responses. The female frogs cannot tell the difference between these computer calls and the calls of real male frogs.
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About the Author
Rose Eveleth
Rose Eveleth graduated from the University of California, San Diego with a B.S. in ecology and a minor in writing. She spent the last four years there poking around in labs, studying krill, climbing trees, riding bikes and perfecting her fish doodles. A sucker for being lost in strange places, she recently wandered her way through Costa Rica, Portugal, Tokyo and Bonaire and is excited to take her wandering to the epicenter of strange places, New York City.