Frogs in cities are sexier than their countryside counterparts, study finds

Frog
Frog Pixabay

A new study report published in the journal Nature Ecology and Evolution has suggested that túngara frogs that live in cities are sexier than their countryside counterparts. During the study, researchers found that túngara frogs in cities have more complex vocalizations which make them more attractive to their opposite sex.

It should be noted that frogs use their sounds to attract females, and due to their highly attractive calls than the rural peers, frogs in cities have more chances to mate with their favorite partner. Scientists made this conclusion after analyzing the behavior of frogs in 11 rural and 11 urban areas along the Panama canal during the rainy season.

It should be noted that the number of female frogs in city areas are quite higher, and this might be the reason why frogs living there used to produce more complex vocalizations to attract their partners.

"There is no constraint, they can go wild. It is harder for males to get mates in the city and so that is why they even have to work harder than their forest counterparts to get the females," said Wouter Halfwerk, a researcher at the Vrije University in Amsterdam, and the lead author of the study, Guardian reports.

The research report also revealed that female frogs used to get attracted to male partners who produce more complex vocalizations. As per the researchers, frogs in rural areas make simple voices to attract mating partners, but due to heavy competition, urban frogs use the game for any game attitude to impress partners.

The researchers also suggested that several factors like bigger larynx, different hormone levels, and neural difference are allowing frogs in cities to make attractive complex calls. The research team is now planning to study the genetic makeup of these urban frogs to determine whether this peculiar characteristic will get passed on to future generations.

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