Female frogs FAKE their own death to AVOID unwanted attention from males!…
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/. — 2 years ago(October 13, 2023 02:15 AM)
https://www.abcnews.go.com/amp/International/female-frogs-fake-death-avoid-unwanted-attention-males/story%3Fid=103859698
Female European common frogs were observed engaging in "tonic immobility," essentially feigning their own death to avoid mating, according to a study published Wednesday in Royal Society Open Science.
The phenomenon seems to have evolved in order for females to survive an intense and potentially dangerous mating season, Carolin Dittrich, an evolutionary and behavioral ecologist who conducted the research as part of the Natural History Museum Berlin, told ABC News.
European common frogs engage in an "explosive" breeding season, a short season in which males fiercely compete for access to females, which results in scrambling and fighting. Males also may harass, coerce or intimidate females into mating, according to the study.
Amid the chaos, female frogs are at risk of getting trapped in "mating balls," in which several males cling to them to vie for their attention, which could lead to their death, Dittrich said.
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