News Animals

Pug-nosed tree frogs use an auditory trick to evade predators and woo mates

The amphibians exploit what’s known as the precedence effect

Male pug-nosed tree frog

Male pug-nosed tree frogs rely on an auditory illusion when calling out to a female frog (one shown) while not giving away their position to predators.

Brian Gratwicke/Flickr (CC BY 2.0)

By Pratik Pawar

- More than 2 years ago

Most male frogs want their mating call to stand out from the crowd, and they do that by calling when nobody else is.