Bats hunt ballooning túngara frogs by echolocation

Sonar spots the puffing throat chamber of the Central American amphibians

FATAL ATTRACTION  The bulbous vocal sacs of male túngara frogs attract females, but the inflating organs also trip the sonar of hungry fringe-lipped bats, a new study finds. 

Adam Dunn

Bellowing male túngara frogs make easy prey for fringe-lipped bats thanks to echolocation, scientists report August 27 in the Journal of Experimental Biology.