Frogs make an ultrasonic cry

So far, only a few mammals - such as bats, whales and dolphins - are known to use very high frequency sounds to communicate with each other. A rare species of Chinese frog has entered record books when it became the first amphibian

A rare species of Chinese frog has entered record books when it became the first amphibian known to be able to communicate using ultrasound.

Picture 1 of Frogs make an ultrasonic cry

Amolops tormotus

So far, only a few mammals - such as bats, whales and dolphins - are known to use very high frequency sounds to communicate with each other.

The frog Amolops tormotus may have developed this mechanism to hear sounds on the effervescent water. They live along streams that flow strongly in Anhui Province, China. In the rainy season, the water surface rises rapidly, creating sounds that overwhelm the cries of many small animals.

A. tormotus made me stand out in that chaotic sound, by emitting ultrasound (greater than 20 kilohertz) beyond the sound range of the entire area. The sound of this frog is very special. Most of their cries only rise or fall, but they use a series of up and down sounds that sound like the cries of birds, whales or primates.

A team led by Albert Feng, an American professor, visited the Tao Hua river branch, China, to study this frog. They heard the chirping melody they thought was a bird under a bush. In the end it was the song of a male frog of the species they were trying to study.

Dr. Feng wondered if other animals of the same species could hear and answer this sound, or if they would show it. He conducted an experiment, which recorded the frog's cry, divided into different frequencies, and examined the frog's response in nature.

The team found most of the frogs responded to the ultrasound sound range and half sent the ultrasonic vocal back. Only male frogs were tested, and female frogs with other ear structures are still unknown to use ultrasound.

" Nature has a unique way of developing mechanisms to facilitate communication in different situations, " Feng said. " One of those ways is to adjust the frequency beyond the background sound. Mammals like bats, whales, dolphins all do this - use ultrasound to communicate. Frogs have never been thought to be. there is that possibility ".

Dr. Feng believes that the ability to respond to ultrasound can be found in other birds and amphibians.

MT

Update 16 December 2018
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