minx Posted March 15, 2006 Share Posted March 15, 2006 high pitch frog Rare Chinese frog uses ultrasonic communication 1 hour, 28 minutes ago LONDON (Reuters) - Bats, whales and dolphins use it to communicate. Baby rodents call their mothers with it and now a rare Chinese frog has shown it can hear and respond to ultrasounds, scientists said on Wednesday. The frog, Amolops tormotus, is the first non-mammalian species known to use the ultra-high frequencies that humans cannot hear. It comes in handy to be heard above the pounding waterfalls and streams in the mountainous region of east-central China where Amolops tormotus, which is known as the concave-eared torrent frog, lives. "Nature has a way of evolving mechanisms to facilitate communication in very adverse situations," said Professor Albert Feng of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. "One way is to shift the frequencies beyond the spectrum of the background noise. Mammals such as bats, whales and dolphins do this, and use ultrasound for their sonar system and communication." But until now it was not known that some frogs were able to use ultrasound. Kraig Adler, a biologist at Cornell University in New York, first noticed the frog with no external eardrums while surveying amphibians in China. He told Feng, an auditory neuroscientist who studies frogs and bats, about his find. Feng and his colleagues conducted tests on the frogs to determine whether they could hear and respond to ultrasounds. "Now we are getting a better understanding of why their ear drums are recessed," said Feng, who reported his findings in the journal Nature. "Thin eardrums are needed for detection of ultrasound. Recessed ears shorten the path between eardrums and the ear, enabling the transmission to the ears," he added in a statement. Ultrasounds are high-pitched sounds of more than 20 kilohertz (kHz) frequency -- much higher than the frequency most birds, reptiles and amphibians can hear. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
archenemy Posted March 15, 2006 Share Posted March 15, 2006 What did you say? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
knelson Posted March 15, 2006 Share Posted March 15, 2006 RARE CHINESE FROG USES ULTRASONIC COMMUNICATION 1 HOUR, 28 MINUTES AGO LONDON (REUTERS) - BATS, WHALES AND DOLPHINS USE IT TO COMMUNICATE. BABY RODENTS CALL THEIR MOTHERS WITH IT AND NOW A RARE CHINESE FROG HAS SHOWN IT CAN HEAR AND RESPOND TO ULTRASOUNDS, SCIENTISTS SAID ON WEDNESDAY. THE FROG, AMOLOPS TORMOTUS, IS THE FIRST NON-MAMMALIAN SPECIES KNOWN TO USE THE ULTRA-HIGH FREQUENCIES THAT HUMANS CANNOT HEAR. IT COMES IN HANDY TO BE HEARD ABOVE THE POUNDING WATERFALLS AND STREAMS IN THE MOUNTAINOUS REGION OF EAST-CENTRAL CHINA WHERE AMOLOPS TORMOTUS, WHICH IS KNOWN AS THE CONCAVE-EARED TORRENT FROG, LIVES. "NATURE HAS A WAY OF EVOLVING MECHANISMS TO FACILITATE COMMUNICATION IN VERY ADVERSE SITUATIONS," SAID PROFESSOR ALBERT FENG OF THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT URBANA-CHAMPAIGN. "ONE WAY IS TO SHIFT THE FREQUENCIES BEYOND THE SPECTRUM OF THE BACKGROUND NOISE. MAMMALS SUCH AS BATS, WHALES AND DOLPHINS DO THIS, AND USE ULTRASOUND FOR THEIR SONAR SYSTEM AND COMMUNICATION." BUT UNTIL NOW IT WAS NOT KNOWN THAT SOME FROGS WERE ABLE TO USE ULTRASOUND. KRAIG ADLER, A BIOLOGIST AT CORNELL UNIVERSITY IN NEW YORK, FIRST NOTICED THE FROG WITH NO EXTERNAL EARDRUMS WHILE SURVEYING AMPHIBIANS IN CHINA. HE TOLD FENG, AN AUDITORY NEUROSCIENTIST WHO STUDIES FROGS AND BATS, ABOUT HIS FIND. FENG AND HIS COLLEAGUES CONDUCTED TESTS ON THE FROGS TO DETERMINE WHETHER THEY COULD HEAR AND RESPOND TO ULTRASOUNDS. "NOW WE ARE GETTING A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF WHY THEIR EAR DRUMS ARE RECESSED," SAID FENG, WHO REPORTED HIS FINDINGS IN THE JOURNAL NATURE. "THIN EARDRUMS ARE NEEDED FOR DETECTION OF ULTRASOUND. RECESSED EARS SHORTEN THE PATH BETWEEN EARDRUMS AND THE EAR, ENABLING THE TRANSMISSION TO THE EARS," HE ADDED IN A STATEMENT. ULTRASOUNDS ARE HIGH-PITCHED SOUNDS OF MORE THAN 20 KILOHERTZ (KHZ) FREQUENCY -- MUCH HIGHER THAN THE FREQUENCY MOST BIRDS, REPTILES AND AMPHIBIANS CAN HEAR. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
archenemy Posted March 15, 2006 Share Posted March 15, 2006 That's funny. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
olyclimber Posted March 15, 2006 Share Posted March 15, 2006 this is as good as it gets Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
archenemy Posted March 15, 2006 Share Posted March 15, 2006 Excessive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
knelson Posted March 15, 2006 Share Posted March 15, 2006 this is as good as it gets I hear that a lot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
archenemy Posted March 15, 2006 Share Posted March 15, 2006 Oly didn't mean to come across as resigned though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
olyclimber Posted March 15, 2006 Share Posted March 15, 2006 definitely not. just enjoying the moment and hoping we can keep it up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
archenemy Posted March 15, 2006 Share Posted March 15, 2006 definitely not. just enjoying the moment and hoping we can keep it up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minx Posted March 15, 2006 Author Share Posted March 15, 2006 definitely not. just enjoying the moment and hoping we can keep it up. there's pills that can help you keep it up for more than a moment....36 hours even Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
archenemy Posted March 15, 2006 Share Posted March 15, 2006 Heaven Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G-spotter Posted March 15, 2006 Share Posted March 15, 2006 how do you know it's not psychedelic or poisonous? have you snorted some? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
olyclimber Posted March 15, 2006 Share Posted March 15, 2006 definitely not. just enjoying the moment and hoping we can keep it up. there's pills that can help you keep it up for more than a moment....36 hours even I was hoping for 80 hours, minimum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
knelson Posted March 15, 2006 Share Posted March 15, 2006 definitely not. just enjoying the moment and hoping we can keep it up. there's pills that can help you keep it up for more than a moment....36 hours even I was hoping for 80 hours, minimum. You should see a doctor if that happens. Or at least that's what the ad on TV says. Guess that's so they can point and laugh, then bill you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
olyclimber Posted March 15, 2006 Share Posted March 15, 2006 or rent you out... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lI1|1! Posted March 15, 2006 Share Posted March 15, 2006 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
archenemy Posted March 15, 2006 Share Posted March 15, 2006 or rent you out... please post rates Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
knelson Posted March 16, 2006 Share Posted March 16, 2006 It's a sliding scale. Depends how far along in the 80 hour cycle you are. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnny_Tuff Posted March 16, 2006 Share Posted March 16, 2006 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
knelson Posted March 16, 2006 Share Posted March 16, 2006 I think that's about 75 hours in... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoastyJones Posted March 16, 2006 Share Posted March 16, 2006 giraffes hear cool too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mos_Chillin Posted March 16, 2006 Share Posted March 16, 2006 but do the legs taste any good Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
archenemy Posted March 16, 2006 Share Posted March 16, 2006 Lets ride bikes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mos_Chillin Posted March 16, 2006 Share Posted March 16, 2006 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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