According to a study conducted by the Institute of Ethology in Vienna, led by researcher Carolin Dittrich, female common frogs have developed mechanisms to avoid mating with males—and most surprisingly, they even play dead.
When spring arrives, hundreds of animals emerge to reproduce and feed. In European and Asian wetlands lives the common frog, which experiences a kind of frenzy lasting about 10 days during the breeding season.
The males’ sexual drive is so strong that when they spot a female, several of them pile onto her, forming what are known as “mating balls.” Females can suffocate when this happens, and if the wetlands are not deep enough, it can be fatal.
According to the experiment carried out by Carolin, she gathered 54 female frogs in a terrarium with half as many males to observe their behavior. About 83% of the females managed to avoid mating. Among their strategies, some squealed like males, confusing them; others, being smaller, managed to escape; and most strikingly, some played dead to avoid it.
Finally, she concluded that female frogs often choose which males they mate with.