FROGS flee the sound of fire. Juvenile reed frogs (Hyperolius nitidulus) that were played recordings of a savannah fire made a beeline for cover.
Ulmar Grafe and his team from the University of Würzburg in Germany rigged up speakers in Ivory Coast’s Comoé National Park and played frogs various sounds, including white noise and fire. The crackling sounds of fire produced the strongest reaction: the frogs raised their heads, scanned their surroundings and hopped rapidly towards the most fire-resistant vegetation.
Although most animals react to fire, Grafe believes this is the first research to show that the sound alone…
