Wolverhampton scientists say new frog species sounds like a duck

A new species of frog has been discovered which makes a noise similar to the quack of a duck.

The "music frog" was recorded in India close to the Namdapha Tiger Reserve, the University of Wolverhampton said.

It had a unique call pattern consisting of two to three notes, similar to the quack of a wild duck, an expert from the university claimed.

The species was found during searches in 2022 and was named after the Noa-Dihing river.

"Initially we first heard the call from a marsh near the Noa-Dihing river, which is quite similar to wild duck species, like 'quack… quack… quack,' which we never heard before," Dr Deepak Veerappan, from the university, said.

"This newly discovered frog grows up to six centimetres and is characterised by a pale, cream-coloured line on the mid-body."

Scientists made the discovery during surveys in August and September 2022 with researchers carrying out night-time searches to look for the frogs by torchlight.

It was a collaboration between Indian biologists and forest experts as well as a team from the university's School of Life Sciences.

The finding was the third consecutive discovery of a new species of amphibian from the easternmost Tiger Reserve of India in a year, the university said.

Dr Veerappan said such finds underlined the importance of conserving such habitats and their surrounding areas.

Researchers believe further studies would uncover more populations of the Noa-Dihing frog inside the reserve.

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