Instead of croaking, these new species of Boophis frogs instead emit bird-like whistling which wouldn’t sound out of place on the USS Enterprise. So of course, the research team who discovered the frogs decided to name them after seven of the most iconic captains in the Star Trek sci-fi series – Kirk, Picard, Sisko, Janeway, Archer, Burnham, and Pike. Assistant Professor Mark Scherz, who was senior author on the study, said: ‘Not only do these frogs sound like sound-effects from Star Trek, but it seems also fitting that to find them, you often have to do quite a bit of trekking. The calls of these frogs are known as advertisement calls: a type of self-promotion that might convey information about the male frog’s suitability as a mate to females. ‘Their high-pitched trills and whistles stand out against all that noise.’The researchers hope their findings will strengthen conservation efforts in Madagascar’s rainforests.

Source: The Star October 15, 2024 23:56 UTC