A short breath extends the mating calls of male tokay geckos
Researchers have discovered that male tokay geckos extend their mating calls by taking a brief breath between vocal segments and adding pulses to the second part. This study demonstrates vocal plasticity in reptiles when adapting to noisy environments.
Why it matters
Understanding how animals adapt their communication to human-induced noise pollution provides insights into evolutionary biology and environmental impact.
edited by Gaby Clark , reviewed by Robert Egan
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Add as preferred source Credit: Generated with ChatGPT. Tokay geckos (Gekko gecko), large and mostly nocturnal geckos native to parts of Asia, are among the few nonbird reptiles that make sounds to attract potential mates, defend their territory and signal distress. Male tokay geckos' calls typically begin with quieter rattles, followed by louder two-part sounds that can sound like "ge-ko" or "to-kay."
Past studies suggest that in noisy environments, male tokay geckos can produce more of the louder "GE-KO" sounds and make them last longer. How they manage to extend these sounds while breathing had remained unclear.
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