Contact: Karin Akre
kakre@mail.utexas.edu
512-475-6164
University of Texas at Austin

Túngara Frogs and Fringe-Lipped Bat

Caption: Female túngara frogs have a limited cognitive ability to recognize increasing elaboration in male mating calls. Fringe-lipped bats that hunt the singing males also have a limited cognitive ability to notice increases in male call complexity. So, the evolution of increasing complexity in male calls is limited by decreased female response rather than increased predation.

Credit: Photo composite by Michael Teague O'Mara. Photos by A. Baugh, K. Lampert and A. Lang.

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