News Animals

Too many choices complicate female frogs’ sex lives

When the dating pool gets crowded, female frogs don’t always pick Prince Charming

A female Cope’s gray tree frog has made her choice. She mates with a male after careful selection.

Female frogs choose mates based on their calls. But too many options can disrupt females’ decision making and possibly even put them in danger.

Fredlyfish4/Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)

By Freda Kreier

It’s not just you. Frogs also get overwhelmed when confronted with too many options — and sometimes, they make bad decisions.

Female Cope’s gray tree frogs (Hyla chrysoscelis) prefer males with longer calls, which in some tree frogs is tied to better survival odds for offspring.