The calls and sounds of our amphibian friends

Our amphibian friends are one of the first animals that come to mind when we with about calls and sounds made in the animal world. In the amphibian world the frogs in particular use their sound and rhythm capabilities in different and unique ways.

The Water frogs are one of those sound and rhythm producing amphibians (Schneider, 2009). The mating calls are said to be temperature related, meaning that the organisms will only produce these calls when the temperature (Schneider, 2009). The mating calls of the different species of water frogs are produced at different megahertz meaning that the different calls only reach the female frogs of the same species (Schneider, 2009). There are also other species of frogs which make distinct calls.

The leptodactylidae frog is another sound producing amphibian. These frogs produce their call in short pulses which is repeated in a specific pattern (Penna, 1997). These patterns are species – specific, meaning that each species produces their call in a slightly different pattern only recognizable by the frogs themselves (Penna, 1997). There is one more frog which has the ability to produce its call in a unique way.

The bufonid frog (Atelopus franciscus) also produces distinct calls to one another (Boistel, 2011). Like any other male frog the bufonid males make calls to defend their territories and to attract females (Boistel, 2011). These calls prove successful for these animals for all the calls purposes but theses frogs are very individual in the way that they produce these calls. The bufonid frogs do not have a external vocal sac, this sac in most other frogs is the way that they project their calls so that all the individuals around them can hear it (Boistel, 2011). Without this vocal sac the bufonid frogs can only produce a low intensity call (Boistel, 2011).  Also the bufonid frogs lack tympanum (Boistel, 2011). The tympanum, in frogs, is essentially the frogs hearing (Boistel, 2011). This therefore makes these frogs deaf (Boistel, 2011) This all being said these frogs are still able to produce these calls and there is no evidence to show that the other individuals are struggling to hear the calls (Boistel, 2011). This just goes to show that sometime the impossible can be possible.

Works Cited

Boistel, R., 2011. Whispering to the Deaf: Communication by a frog without External vocal sac or tympanum in Noisy Environments. plos one , 6(7).

Penna, M., 1997. Selectivity of Evoked Vocal Responses in the time domain by frog of the genus Batrachyla. Journal of herpetology , 31(2), pp. 202-217.

Schneider, H., 2009. Mating calls of water frogs from lake skutari yugoslavia and the relationship to water frogs of other regions. Journal of zoological systematics and evolutionay Research , 26(4), pp. 261-275.

Images used

1)      http://www.euroherp.com/species/Pelophylax_bedriagae/?photo=juvenile

2)      http://www.superstock.com/stock-photos-images/1566-366197

3)      http://novataxa.blogspot.com.au/2011/12/2009-pelophryne-saravacensis-borneo.html

An Aquatic twist on Song and Dance

The aquatic members of the animal world love to show off their singing and dancing abilities as much as our terrestrial members. Our fishy friends show off their moves the most, especially the cod. The Gadus morhua L. (Cod) use their singing and dancing abilities in their courtship process (Engen, 1999).  In the process of a Cods courtship there is large amounts of dancing and rhythm sequences (Engen, 1999). The first section of the courtship sequence consists of the female dancing around the male to gain the males attention (Engen, 1999). This dancing consists of one of the fish to swim away from the other in a particular direction with the other fish following in the same direction (Engen, 1999). The second section consists of the male cod making a sequence of grunts towards the female (Engen, 1999). These grunts are produced by the mass drumming of a muscle within the males body (Engen, 1999). The final section of this courtship consists of a final dance sequence together before the intended mating happens (Engen, 1999). Fish are not the only species of aquatic organism which use song and dance for survival. 

Crab species although their song and dance is not used for courtship as such, they still require these tools to survive. A crab uses their dancing skills in particular to defend its territory (Clayton, 2008). This dance sequence commences by the crab which is defending its territory rasing up on its outstretched legs (Clayton, 2008). Once in this position the crab proceeds to commence rapid on the spot stepping which leads to sideways movements (Clayton, 2008). These steps get increasingly complex with the larger ones becoming full circle movements around the wanderer (Clayton, 2008). At this point their sound producing abilities coming into the territorial stance, this occurs closely following the dance display (Clayton, 2008). The song consists of long rap trains with drumming events (Clayton, 2008). These rap trains become increasingly spaced out as the wanderer moves away from the other crabs territory (Clayton, 2008). As you can see in the aquatic world there is also evidence of this sound and rhythm. In coming posts we will continue to explore the aquatic world as well as venturing into the world of our larger organisms. 

Song and Dance in the Spider World

Spiders are usually connected with dangerous and scary when brought up in conversations. Two worlds that are not usually used in conjunction with spiders is song and dance. What some people don’t realize is that spiders use song and dance in their everyday life as a means of survival. The main species which uses these techniques is the jumping spiders.  

One of the largest families of spider species, Salticidae, is one example of spiders and song and dance (Richman, 2010). These jumping spiders use their jumping abilities to mimic the predators around them (Richman, 2010). These spiders also feel vibrations and can make high-pitched sounds during courtship (Richman, 2010). The females complete a lateral run with a sudden jump, this run is repeated in a zig-zag as the male approaches (Richman, 2010). The entire body vibrates as the spider creeps forward towards the other involved (Richman, 2010). The males in this courtship process they accompany their visual display with the tapping of the palpi and the rubbing of other body parts (Richman, 2010).Males of particular species in this family also have the ability to pick up chemical  breeding cues from females (Richman, 2010). These spiders are one among others have these abilities. Most spider species use song or dance in some way in their courtship ritual. 

 

Richman, D., 2010. Spiders that Jump and Dance. Microscopy UK.