A team of international researchers has discovered seven new species of tree frog in the rainforest of Madagascar.
According to Phys, the research published in Vertebrate Zoology revealed that these newly discovered species made strange, high-pitched whistling calls sound similar to the sound effects used in the series Star Trek, which is why the researchers have named the new frog species after the iconic series.
Professor Miguel Vences, the lead researcher of the study said, “That's why we named the frogs after Kirk, Picard, Sisko, Janeway, Archer, Burnham, and Pike, seven of the most iconic captains from the sci-fi series.”
The senior author of the study, Assistant Professor Mark D. Scherz, explained, “Not only do these frogs sound like sound effects from Star Trek, but it also seems fitting that to find them, you often have to do quite a bit of trekking. 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's a real sense of scientific discovery and exploration here, which we think is in the spirit of Star Trek,” he continued.
Moreover, the researchers said that these frogs would not be audible due to the sound of rushing water from the rivers they live near, but their pitched trills and whistles “stand out against all that noise.”
Researchers are optimistic that this discovery will strengthen the conservation efforts for the Madagascar rainforest.
