Lectures / 23/11/2009 7:30 pm

Perception?

How do frogs keep a conversation going? Why some frogs croak and others don’t

Male frogs have a knack of making the kind of noise that assures them attention. With a range of different sounds they attract the mute females and keep other males at bay. The situation gets complicated if many individuals belonging to different frog species pursue the business of reproduction in one pond at the same time. How can they make themselves understood? Given their inventiveness it is not surprising that frogs have found ways and means in the course of evolution to solve all problems of reproduction and communication in a style that invites a comparison with human ingenuity.

In his lecture Walter Hödl will present the latest insights into acoustic and visual amphibian signalling in the light of his current research in Austria and in different parts of the tropics (Amazonia, Tanzania and Borneo).