Berlin, October 12: A recent study has discovered that female frogs "fake their deaths" to avoid sexual interactions. Experts previously believed that she-frogs couldn't fend off unwelcome attention in the form of intimidation, harassment, and even forced sex, which might lead to the physical attachment of male frogs to females, known as amplexing.

Female frogs can die as a result of this mating behaviour, according to experts. The female frogs, however, had escape strategies, which surprised experts from the Natural History Museum in Berlin. 'Super Snakes' in Florida Are a Result of Cross-Breeding With Indian Pythons, Says Study.

The study, which was published on Wednesday in the journal Royal Society Open Science, used camera footage to monitor the mating behaviours of common frogs in a cage with one male and two females. About 33% of the 54 females gripped in an embrace acted dead, or suffered "tonic immobility," the stiffness of extended limbs and inability to respond to stimuli.

In the animal realm, such behaviour is normally used to avoid predation, although it has only before been observed in arthropods or other amphibians, according to the researchers. Tonic immobility was largely associated with body rotation (83% tried) and vocalisation of grunts and squeaks, or "release calls," (48% emitted).

Smaller she-frogs tended to try all three evasive manoeuvres, maybe due to heightened stress from a lack of mating experience, and they looked to be more successful escape artists than bigger amphibians. Finally, 25 female frogs successfully wriggled out of 'male desire'. Testosterone Encourages Not Only Violence but Also 'Cuddling', Finds Study.

While the scientists initially thought the behaviours were escape tactics, they later realised that the frogs may be checking the strength of their mating partner and avoiding a catastrophic "mating ball," in which numerous male frogs connect to one female. Future studies should include bigger sample sizes and more men offered to each pair of females, according to the researchers.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 12, 2023 11:42 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).