Vic: Call of wild turns mild as frogs' mating moans croak it

AAP General News (Australia)
08-20-2009
Vic: Call of wild turns mild as frogs' mating moans croak it

Car traffic's been blamed for everything from polluting the environment to road rage
.. and now it is being called a romance killer for urban frogs in Melbourne.

A Melbourne University study has found the mating calls of male frogs in city ponds
are being drowned out by traffic noise and this is hindering their chances of attracting
and breeding with female frogs.

Ecologist Dr KIRSTEN PARRIS has found frogs have disappeared from many of the 104 ponds
included in the study and the number of species in each pond has also reduced.

Dr PARRIS suggests developers in the inner city should consider creating more ponds
and using barriers such as hedges or dense vegetation to reduce noise but still allow
frogs to move from pond to pond.

AAP RTV mok/gfr/crh

KEYWORD: FROG (MELBOURNE)

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