Accepted animal mating theory suggests that females tend to select more “attractive” males as their breeding partners. In the case of Túngara frogs from Central America, male “attractiveness” is generally dictated by vocal ability and the size of their vocal sacs. However, a new study reveals that males with less desirable songs may stand a chance, thanks to the “decoy” effect.
HOW DO MALE túngara frogs STACK UP?
According to National Geographic, the name “túngara” is an onomatopoetic interpretation of the distinct sound these tiny, mud-colored frogs make.
“The calls, they sound like a video game ping. It’s the funniest sound,” stated study co-author Amanda Lea, a Ph.D. student at the University of Texas, Austin.
In searching for a mate, female Túngara frogs specifically seek out “low-pitched, fast-singing” males. To study the exact selection process, Amanda Lea and fellow researcher, Mike Ryan, also from the University of Texas, Austin, conducted experiments using 78 female Túngara frogs. The study, the results of which are published in the journal Science, was conducted using two speakers that played recordings of male mating calls. Researchers placed the females in the center of a room, surrounded by these speakers and examined which direction the frogs hopped to. From this pool, the study authors were able to identify that Call One – a tenor with a fast call – was preferred over Call Two – a baritone with a slow call.
After this initial test, the researchers then introduced Call C – the “decoy” with the slowest call. When this external factor was brought into play, most of the female frogs actually opted for Call Two. This effect held true whether or not the decoy call was heard from a discernible or indiscernibale spot.
The reasoning behind this effect might seem illogical, but according to researchers “rational decisions could be time-consuming, patenting resulting in lost mating opportunities or the risk of further exposures to predators.”
In fact, researchers have stated that the decoy effect has been exhibited in humans too: “similar to the human strategy of hitting the bars with one’s less attractive friends to seem more appealing in comparison,” states Rick Shine, a professor at the University of Sydney. This may indicate that the phenomenon actually has a much deeper, biological root.
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Túngara Frogs Can Select Less "Attractive" Mates
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