Suddenly looking dead can free a female frog from a male’s intense embrace in the just-grab-her mass mating frenzies among European common frogs (Rana temporaria). In this lab tub setup, a male grabs one of the two females and locks himself against her in mating position. She eventually just goes limp as if dead, and he lets go and pursues the other female in the tub. The first female sprawls with legs stretched out until the new couple bumps into them. Then the “dead” female revives and moves away. Regardless of whether the first female had any control over going immobile when she did, the fake death released her from the male.
Read more: https://www.sciencenews.org/article/faking-death-female-frogs-mate-male
Video: C. Dittrich and M-O Rödel/R. Soc. Open Sci. 2023
Watch a female frog play dead and ward off a male mate | Science News
