Faking death? Female frogs have unique sex strategy, they also avoid persistent males

Researchers have found that female frogs often fake their own deaths to avoid persistent males, they even roll and grunt to avoid sex if they are not interested.

In a study published Wednesday (Oct 11) in the journal Royal Society Open Science, the researchers have analysed the aggressive mating habits of some frogs.

They described female mate avoidance behaviours in the European common frog and observed three female avoidance behaviours, namely 'rotation', 'release call(s)' and tonic immobility (death feigning).

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The scientists say that these behaviours were significantly associated with smaller female body size, and smaller females were more successful in escaping amplexus, which is the mating position of frogs and toads.

The study mentioned that European common frogs are known as "explosive" breeders that gather in their dozens to mate in ponds. Males outnumber females in most cases, which led to tough competition in a mating ball.

Carolin Dittrich, who is a researcher at the Natural History Museum in Berlin, told Live Science: "In some cases, the female might be killed inside these mating balls."

However, some are able to avoid it as females have developed several techniques to avoid mating, Dittrich said, further adding that "rather than being passive and helpless", females use the strategies to avoid males they don't want to mate with. Either they aren't ready to breed or do not want to mate with a certain male.

To carry out the study, the researchers collected male and female European common frogs from a pond during the breeding season.

They divided the frogs into two tanks, in a way each tank has two females and one male. After filming the frogs for an hour, they found that 83 per cent of them rolled onto their back in response to the 54 females that were grasped by a male.

Dittrich explained that this tactic apparently "puts the male underwater, so the male lets go to avoid drowning".

A third of females lay motionless with their limbs outstretched for around two minutes after being mounted by a male, the researchers found.

Dittrich said, "To us, it appears as if the female is playing dead, although we can't prove it's conscious behaviour. It could just be an automatic response to stress."

(With inputs from agencies)

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