Coquí frogs got smaller, squeakier as climate warmed
Amphibians on a Puerto Rican mountain changed chirps over 23 years
By Susan Milius
Climate change might also mean a bit of frog-call change.
Male coquí frogs (Eleutherodactylus coqui) along a mountain slope in Puerto Rico have increased the pitch of their “coquí” calls a bit and shortened their chirps compared with frogs at the same altitudes 23 years earlier. Peter Narins and Sebastian Meenderink of UCLA report the finding April 9 in Proceedings of the Royal Society B.
Warming temperatures tend to nudge animals toward smaller bodies. And smaller body sizes in frogs often means their voices head toward the soprano rather than the bass.