Animal Communication: Complex Call Production in the Túngara Frog.
From: Departamento de Zoologia, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Estadual Paulista, Rio Claro, São Paulo 13506-900, Brazil.
Nature
- Publish Date: May 2006
- ISSN: 1476-4687
- Volume: 441
- Issue: 7089
- Pages: 38
- Medium: Internet
- Language: English
- Citation (JAMA): Gridi-Papp M, Rand A S, Ryan M J, et al. Animal Communication: Complex Call Production in the Túngara Frog.. Nature May 2006;441:38
Abstract
Animals’ sound-producing organs often act as an integrated whole — particular vocal structure are not directly associated with the creation of discrete syllables. But here we show that the ‘chuck’ of the ‘whine-chuck’ mating call of the túngara frog, Physalaemus pustulosus, is caused by a fibrous mass attached to the vocal folds; the chuck is eliminated by removal of this structure, although the frog still tries to produce the sound. Sexual selection affects the acoustic complexity of the frog’s call, so evolution may have shaped this unusual vocalization, which is akin to the two-voiced song of songbirds.
Mesh Headings (Keywords): Animals, Female, Male, Ranidae, Sexual Behavior, Animal, Vocal Cords, Vocalization, Animal
Check for Full Text / PubMed Unique Identifier (PMID): 16672962
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