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A calling male túngara frog with a large inflated vocal sac. Credit: Adam Dunn A new study reports that city frogs sing more complex and attractive songs than their country cousins. Urban frogs can get away with producing more conspicuous mating calls, which are preferred by. . . Read More

I am happy to announce that I am resuming my Animal Minds blog on the Psychology Today network. In my most recent post, I take a look at what wolf howls mean and what sort of information they may contain. They may. . . Read More

In my latest article for The Scientist, I highlight the work of Dr. Ximena Bernal. She studies a tiny fly that eavesdrops on the mating calls of a particular tropical frog. Once it locates a calling frog, the fly crawls to its nose, where it can easily bite through the skin for a. . . Read More

North American walnut sphinx moth caterpillars look like easy meals for birds, but they have a trick up their sleeves—they produce whistles that sound like bird alarm calls, scaring potential predators away. At first, scientists suspected birds were simply startled by the loud. . . Read More

Birds do it. Mammals do it. Even caterpillars do it. Whistling is widespread in the animal kingdom. Animals use various means to produce whistles and use their whistles for many different purposes, from warning of predators to calling to a friend. In my latest piece for National. . . Read More