This Fake Robot Frog Is Key For Field Research
Amorous Amphibian Cast in urethane from a mold of a túngara frog, the robot [above] was finished with a glossy top coat to mimic wet skin. It can be used to study either mating rituals or the behavior of predators. Courtesy Barrett Klein/University of Wisconsin/Moey Studios When a male túngara frog wants to mate, it announces its desire by inflating a vocal sac beneath its chin while making whines and chucks. Biologists Michael Ryan and Ryan Taylor (from the University of Texas at Austin and Salisbury University, respectively) wanted to change the order and timing of those calls to study mating behavior, but there was no way they could train a túngara to perform dependably on cue. So they special-ordered an exceptionally sexy robotic male frog. Túngara frogs are so small—about...