Beam up, frog.
Deep in the rainforests of Madagascar, scientists have discovered seven new species of tree frogs whose sounds most closely resemble Star Trek's iconic high-pitched sound effect.
Specifically, its high-pitched, bird-like frequency evokes both. “Boardsman's Flute” and “Tricorder”.
“That’s why we named our frogs after Kirk, Picard, Cisco, Janeway, Archer, Burnham and Pike – seven of the most iconic captains of science fiction.” Researcher Miguel Vances said:They hope these new species in the Boophis genus, namely B. kirki, B. picardi, B. siskoi, B. janewayae, B. archeri, B. pikei, and B. burnhamae, will live long and thrive .
And in a sense, male frogs are putting themselves in the spotlight with this enterprising “propaganda” campaign of luring females in the country's mountainous rivers.
Researcher Dr. Jörn Köhler said: “If the frog is just singing like the European frogs we are familiar with, it may not be audible over the rapids of nearby rivers.” said.
“Their high-pitched trills and whistles stand out above all the noise.”
Until recently, frogs were confused with similar species due to their similar appearance. The only distinguishable feature researchers identified was their strange whistle.
Even with this discovery, much of Madagascar's final frontier has never been before by scientists.
“We've only scratched the surface of what Madagascar's rainforests can offer,” says researcher Andralao Rakotoalison.
“Every time we go into the forest, we find new species. There are still hundreds of species of frogs alone that have yet to be described.”
Part of the reason is that these tiny friends live deep within the ecosystem. In the case of the recent discovery, researcher Mark D. Schertz said, “We had to go on massive expeditions to remote forest fragments and mountain peaks.”
“Not only do these frogs sound like Star Trek sound effects, but finding them often requires quite a trek.”
