The otherworldly sounds are being made by an orchestra of little animals \u2013 all of which are new to science. <\/p>
Seven brand-new species of tree frogs have been discovered in the rainforests of Madagascar; and their high-pitched, whistle-like<\/strong><\/strong> calls sound like something straight out of Star Trek<\/em>.<\/strong><\/p> In a nod to the iconic sci-fi franchise, the research team who discovered the frogs have named the species after seven legendary\u00a0captains: Kirk, Picard, Sisko, Janeway, Archer, Burnham and Pike.<\/p> Led by Professor Miguel Vences from the Technische Universit\u00e4t Braunschweig, the international team found that the frogs’ unique calls help them communicate above the roar of the fast-flowing streams they inhabit. <\/p> Their findings were published in the journal Vertebrate Zoology<\/a><\/em>.<\/p> The study found that the whistle-like trills of the frogs cut through the forest, attracting mates while standing out in a crowded, sound-filled environment. It\u2019s almost as if their calls serve as a ‘star signal’ in the rainforest, reminiscent of the sci-fi show\u2019s famous sound effects.<\/p> \u201cNot only do these frogs sound like sound-effects from Star Trek, but it seems also fitting that to find them, you often have to do quite a bit of trekking,” says Assistant Professor Mark D. Scherz from the Natural History Museum of Denmark, who helped lead the study. <\/p> “A few species are found in places accessible to tourists, but to find several of these species, we had to undertake major expeditions to remote forest fragments and mountain peaks. There\u2019s a real sense of scientific discovery and exploration here, which we think is in the spirit of Star Trek<\/em>,\u201d explains Scherz. <\/p>