New paper in Proceedings B

The ‘silent’ half: diversity, function and the critical knowledge gap on female frog vocalizations

Erika M. Santana, Angela M. Mendoza-Henao and Johana Goyes Vallejos

I’m excited to share that our latest paper has just been published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B. This review takes a critical look at a longstanding bias in anuran communication research: the near-total focus on male vocalizations.

Despite decades of studies in frog bioacoustics, female calls have been largely overlooked, often treated as rare exceptions, or left undocumented altogether. Our systematic review of over 2,900 sources found confirmed vocalizations in just 112 frog species, representing a mere 1.43% of all known frog species. Even more striking, the majority of these reports are anecdotal, lacking detailed analyses or context.

In this paper, we compile and categorize the known diversity of female frog calls, identify trends in when and why females vocalize, and propose a standardized framework for both female and male calls. We also highlight major gaps in our current understanding and offer concrete recommendations for best practices and future research. From mating and territoriality to parental care, female vocal behavior has the potential to reshape how we think about communication, sexual selection, and social behavior in frogs.

We hope this review will spark new research on female frog calls and broaden the conversation in anuran bioacoustics.