Imma Perfetto
Cosmos science journalist
What sound does a frog make? If you said “croak” or “ribbit” or even “bonk” like the Australian pobblebonk frog, you’d be right. And now, thanks to new research, “Star Trek whistle” is also a correct answer!
Seven newly discovered species of frogs in Madagascar have been named for their unique calls, some of which are similar to whistle-like sound effects used in Star Trek: the “boatswain whistle” and “tricorder” device.
“That’s why we named the frogs after Kirk, Picard, Sisko, Janeway, Archer, Burnham, and Pike – 7 of the most iconic captains from the sci-fi series,” says Miguel Vences of the Technische Universität Braunschweig, Germany, who led the research.
Previously, they were thought to be just 1 species of treefrog – Boophis marojezensis. But DNA, body shape, and bioacoustic analysis revealed an addition 7 species exist: B. kirki; B. picardi; B. siskoi; B. janewayae; B. archeri; B. burnhamae;and B. pikei.
Mark D. Scherz from the Natural History Museum of Denmark in Copenhagen, senior author of the study in Vertebrate Zoology, adds that to find the species they had to do “quite a bit of trekking!”
“To find several of these species, we had to undertake major expeditions to remote forest fragments and mountain peaks. There’s a real sense of scientific discovery and exploration here, which we think is in the spirit of Star Trek,” he says.
The group of frogs live along fast-flowing streams in the most mountainous regions of Madagascar. This may explain why the frogs’ calls, thought to convey information about a male frog’s suitability as a mate to females, are made at such high pitches.
“If the frogs just croaked like our familiar European frogs, they might not be audible over the sound of rushing water from the rivers they live near,” says Jörn Köhler, senior curator of Vertebrate Zoology at the Hessisches Landesmuseum Darmstadt, Germany, and co-author of the study.
“Their high-pitched trills and whistles stand out against all that noise.”
