Morgan McLean (22) is searching for congregations of brown tree frogs, most likely found around a pond or still-water source, so he can find out why the frogs breed throughout the year.
"Most only breed in spring or summer, but these call throughout the year. It's unusual."
As no-one had investigated it before, he decided for his University of Otago masters in zoology thesis to research why they continually bred. He planned to start the project in July.
But first, he needed to find groups of male frogs congregating and calling and then watch as the females turned up and "hop among them", Mr McLean said.
"A good study site would have plenty of males and they tend to like ponds or stagnant water."
His search so far had turned up few sites in Dunedin and he wondered if it was because of a fungal infection that had wiped out many frogs nationally and internationally.
People with the frogs in their gardens would know they were there, Mr McLean said.
"As they're nocturnal, they'll call from dusk to dawn."
His hypothesis was that the all-year mating strategy was an attempt by smaller male frogs to overcome the female's liking for large frogs with deep mating calls.
"In the colder temperatures their calls are deeper, so they can sneak in matings, as they don't have a chance competing against the big guys [in the main season]."
To test his hypothesis, he would also capture females and play a recording of different calls to them to see which one they were attracted to.
"I'll be spending a bunch of nights out by ponds, being driven crazy by frog calls."
Mr McLean was also waiting for ethics approval to study in a laboratory how temperature affected the frogs' calls.
He asked people with frogs on their property to contact him at morganmclean16@hotmail.com
