Sunday 1 October 2017

Scientists discover unique Brazilian frogs deaf to their own mating calls


Pumpkin toadlet frogs are only known case of an animal that continues to make a communication signal even after the target audience has lost the ability to hear it


Friday 22 September 2017 12.15 BSTFirst published on Thursday 21 September 2017 10.07 BST

Humans trying to chat each other up in a noisy nightclub may find verbal communication futile. But it appears even more pointless for pumpkin toadletsafter scientists discovered that females have lost the ability to hear the sound of male mating calls.

An international team from Brazil, Denmark and the UK has discovered that the males of two species of tiny orange frogs continue to make high-pitched calls despite neither females nor males being able to hear them.

It is believed to be the first case in the animal kingdom of a communication signal enduring even after its target audience has lost the ability to detect it.


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