--- title: "Female Frogs Have an Effective Strategy for Dealing With Annoying Males: Pretend to Be Dead" description: "Female European common frogs are taking ghosting to a whole new level, playing dead to deter unwanted males from latching onto them." date: "2023-10-13" modified: "2023-10-13" authors: - name: "Maggie Harrison Dupré" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/mharrison" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/female-frogs-pretend-dead" categories: - "Science & Energy" tags: - "amphibians" - "animals" - "frogs" - "the digest" --- # Female Frogs Have an Effective Strategy for Dealing With Annoying Males: Pretend to Be Dead ![Female European common frogs are taking ghosting to a whole new level, playing dead to deter unwanted males from latching onto them.]() *Close up of a common European frog in a pond seen at frog's eye level with a good reflection of the frog \Image: Robert Cock via Getty Images\* ## Leave Her Alone Some female frogs in Europe are taking ghosting to a whole new level. A new study conducted by researchers at Berlin's Natural History Museum has found that female European common frogs often engage in "tonic immobility" — more commonly referred to as the act of "playing dead" — in order to fend off unwanted male suitors. Per the study, which was [published today]() in the journal *Royal Society Open Science*, European common frogs are "explosive" breeders, meaning that their mating season is quite short and competition to breed is intense. The male attention during these periods can become overwhelming for the female frogs, and can even turn deadly; the females are at risk of getting fatally trapped inside "mating balls," which occurs when too many male frogs cling to them at once. But as it turns out, according to the research, the female froggos do have some tools of self-defense — and as the researchers wrote in the study, "may not be as passive and helpless" to the horrors of the mating season "as previously thought." Indeed, the researchers say they have a number of techniques to evade unwanted or overwhelming suitors, feigning death included. ## Frogger Mortis Per the study, the deathly display is pretty convincing, as the females' joints stiffen and their legs and arms stretch out as they might in true rigor mortis. In addition to playing dead, the researchers say that the amphibians' other avoidance tactics include rotating around in an attempt to shake amorous males off and — another favorite — essentially just shouting at their harassers in tones similar to the male frogs' calls. Interestingly, the latter behavior was only observed after a female had laid eggs, and thus, as the study authors write, is likely a way for the ladies to signal "non-receptivity." What makes the playing dead strategy particularly fascinating, however, is that the behavior "has only been observed in a handful of species and only in one other amphibian," according to the research. And as Caroline Dittrich, the study's lead author, [told *ABC News*](), it's a behavior that's usually reserved for avoiding predators — and not as a means to deter mate-seeking males. But a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do, especially when it comes to unwanted men. And female European common frogs, it seems, have along the way picked up a few tricks for keeping horny toads away. **More on frogs:** [*Something Cool Is Happening to the Frogs at Chernobyl*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've reported extensively on the rise of AI as a cultural and business force shaping the media industry, and more broadly how those dynamics are changing how we all consume and share information and relate to one another. I'm also fascinated by public health policy and ethics, the role of emerging tech in politics and governance — and the powerful people and forces at those intersections — climate change, and the environment. My investigation on Sports Illustrated's use of AI-generated authors with fictional biographies won a 2024 Mirror Award for "Best Story on Media Coverage of Artificial Intelligence in Journalism and the Media" from Syracuse University's SI Newhouse School, I contributed to Niemen Lab's 2025 Predictions for Journalism series, and I've discussed my work for Futurism during appearances on NPR, CNN, the BBC, the CBC, and more. I grew up in rural Pennsylvania and attended the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where I played Division I field hockey for the Minutewomen as a midfielder. Since then, I've lived in New Orleans, Louisiana and Manhattan, New York. I spend my free time running, reading, perusing archival fashion, and searching for the world’s best negroni. I also have a debonair tuxedo cat, Westley, who's named after "The Princess Bride." ### Author social links [Bluesky]()