Scientists have found that whenever male tungara frog makes mating call to woo its female partner, it unwittingly invites its predator as well. Actually, the female frog of the species gets attracted to the mating calls of the male, but a frog-eating bat also gets the signal that its meal is calling them for a feast.

Scientists reported on Thursday that while making a matting call, small ripples are created on the ponds along with puddles where the frogs gather. Hungry bats are able to use a form of sonar zero in on them to feed on them.

"You try and make your love song and all of a sudden, yeah, you're screwed because someone is listening in on your call by using a completely different communication channel", said Halfwerk, one of the scientists in the study at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama.

The brownish frogs measure less than an inch and make mating calls when the sun sets in the rainforest. Ripples are created by the frog on the water's surface because while making calls, vocals sacs of the male frogs inflate and deflate like a pulsing balloon.

The fringe-lipped bat, natural predator of the frog, gets attracted by the propagating ripples. Rachel Page, a scientist with the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, said in a statement that as soon as the frog sees a bat flying by, the frog stops the calls immediately. But unfortunately, the water ripples lasts for another few seconds to help the bat to detect the location of the frog.