Risky business: Frogs’ mating calls also attract predators
In the túngara frog — a tiny native of Middle, Central and South America — disease, predation and communication are intricately intertwined. Parasites are transmitted by frog-biting flies called midges, which find their way to frogs by “intercepting” their mating calls. Male frogs need to call to attract females, but in a catch-22, this also alerts predators of their whereabouts.