|
Females fish whisper to initiate sex
mongabay.com
January 29, 2007
Female Croaking gouramis whisper to initiate sex according to research published in the current edition of the journal Animal Behaviour that describes the use of sound by this freshwater aquarium fish species during aggressive displays and courtship.
The Croaking gourami (Trichopsis vittata) has the ability to generate sound -- "croaks" -- by beating their pectoral fins. Aquarium owners know that this behavior is mostly exhibited at times of excitement but Dr. Friedrich Ladich, a biologist at the University of Vienna and author of the paper, took a closer look at "croaking" in the species. He found that "croaking" differs significantly depending on the situation:
"Agonistic disputes over territories result in lateral displays during which both sexes produce croaking sounds," he wrote. "During mating, a female approaches a male's nest at the water surface and emits purring sounds in a vertical, head-up position."
Ladich said that it appears females spur courtship through their low-intensity purring sounds, making it the "only fish species in which females are known to initiate spawning acoustically."
Citation: Ladich, F (2007). Females whisper briefly during sex: context- and sex-specific differences in sounds made by croaking gouramis. ANIMAL BEHAVIOUR, 2007, 73, 379e387
doi:10.1016/j.anbehav.2006.04.014
This article used quotes and information from "Females whisper briefly during sex: context- and sex-specific differences in sounds made by croaking gouramis".
Comments?
News options
News index | RSS | Add to MyYahoo!
Advertisements:
Organic Apparel from Patagonia | Insect-repelling clothing
| |
|
MONGABAY.COM
Mongabay.com seeks to raise interest in and appreciation of wild lands and wildlife, while examining the impact of emerging trends in climate, technology, economics, and finance on conservation and development (more)
CONTENTS
POPULAR PAGES
T-SHIRTS
Madagascar Wildlife
Dancing lemurs
Don't fall asleep the sloths will eat you
Sucking on this frog may make you insane
CALENDARS
Mount Kenya
East Africa Safari Wildlife
Kenya's Turkana People
Peru
African Wildlife
Alaska
China
Madagascar Chameleons
CANVAS BAGS
Hallucinogenic frog bag
Madagascar wildlife bag
|
|
