Most newts are likely guided to their breeding ponds in spring by the wafting odour of the water. The smooth newt, however, uses an extra navigational strategy – it tunes into the frequencies of its amphibian cousins.
In laboratory tests, smooth newts orientated themselves and moved towards the mating calls of toads, particularly the common toad – a species with which they often cohabit in the wild.
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This kind of inter-species ‘frequency-tapping’ was not previously known or expected in amphibians. The behaviour is more commonly seen in migrant birds, some of which are capable of selecting habitats based on the presence or absence of rival species.