Ants release chemicals that repel mites, fleas and lice. Some birds will actually rub their feathers against ants in an attempt to remove these pests.
Males' songs sexually excite female midwife toads
Males' songs sexually excite female midwife toads Research now shows that the call of the male
Majorcan midwife toad causes female midwife toads to ripen their
eggs in anticipation of mating. Research was done on three groups
of female Majorcan midwife toads who carried ripening eggs in their
ovaries. The first group listened to recordings of male calls, the
second heard the call of a different species and the third heard no
call at all. After a month, the first group had substantially more
ripened eggs ready for ovulation than the toads in the other
groups. It is speculated that auditory stimulation caused hormones
to be released in the part of the brain that controls reproduction
which led to the ripening of the eggs. Male Majorcan toads are
limited in their breeding because after they fertilize the eggs
they remain celibate for a month to raise the brood while the
female toads continue to display their readiness to mate by
calling.
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