If you have ever been to Puerto Rico or Hawaii then you may have heard of the a little tree frog known as the Coqui. If you haven’t heard of them…I can almost guarantee you have at least heard them. This tiny amphibian is thought to be the loudest amphibian on the planet. Not a bad title to own but I bet they regularly get kicked out of libraries, churches and other places of quiet and solitude. This is just fine for them since they prefer to be in their pond anyways, where they can make as much noise as they like. So what do you say? You want to take a quick trip to hear the loudest amphibian in the world?
A Big Voice
In order to appreciate the loudness of our featured animal, you need to know how big this tree frog is. Believe it or not the loudest frog in the world typically has a length between 15 – 80 mm (0.59 – 3.1 inches). I guess it just goes to show that you really don’t need to be big to have your voice heard. So the next big question you are probably asking yourself is just how loud could this little frog actually be? Well, if you were standing 1 meter (3 feet) away from a Coqui, the decibel level would be somewhere around 100, which is equivalent to the sound of a jackhammer or a chainsaw. I wonder if frog researcher need to wear protective hearing equipment while studying this tiny tree frog?
The Most Efficient Song
Besides the decibel level, I find a couple other elements of their sound interesting. First, it is only the male Coqui that will sing – insert your “all guys are loud mouths” joke here. So what is the male trying to tell the world? Well the “Co-Qui” sound they produce tells other frogs in their vicinity two very important things. The “Co” part of their song warns all other males that this is their home so they had better not try intruding on their turf. The “Qui” part of their song impresses the ladies as the sole purpose of this part of their call is to attract a pretty little female Coqui to their lily pad. You have to admit that they are pretty efficient having both calls all rolled into one catchy song.
I will leave you with a 30 second clip of the Coqui singing to both their enemies and their mates. Enjoy!
