Humpback whales' songs at subarctic feeding areas are complex, progressive

January 23, 2019, Public Library of Science

Humpback whales overwintering in feeding areas may sing complex, progressive songs which closely resemble those associated with breeding grounds, according to a study published January 23, 2019 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Edda E. Magnúsdóttir and Rangyn Lim from the University of Iceland.

Humpback whales (Megaptera noveangliae) migrate annually between summer subarctic feeding areas to winter tropical breeding grounds, where males are known to sing characteristic songs which are linked to mating. However, recent studies indicate some humpback pods may overwinter in their feeding grounds rather than migrating, raising the question of whether and how males sing in these circumstances. The authors of the present study used acoustic recorders in the feeding grounds of Skjálfandi Bay in northeast Iceland between January and March of 2011, recording the songs of male humpback whales which were overwintering here. Whale songs were recorded on 42 of the 46 recording days, producing a total of 70 ten-minute song files used for analysis.

The authors identified 15 distinct phrases and themes within the whale songs. They noted that the songs they recorded may represent a characteristic song type with a sophisticated structure and order of themes—and closely resemble the songs associated with breeding grounds. Song themes also appeared to evolve gradually over the recording period, possibly indicating the existence of song exchange and cultural transmission in these feeding grounds.

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Mice sing many different, complex songs, study finds

April 2, 2015

Brett Smith for redOrbit.com – @ParkstBrett

Researchers have known for years that mice sing songs in pitches so high people can’t hear them, but a new statistical tool has allowed Duke University scientists to determine that these songs can be simple or complex, based on the situation.

In other words, move over Alvin.

Complex songs

According to the scientists’ report in the journal Frontiers of Behavioral Neuroscience, mice start ‘singing’ very young when they call for their mother and their songs get more complex as they get older.

Using a syntax analysis of the mice songs, study researchers found that mice sing more intricate and louder songs when they smell a female’s urine but don’t see her. In contrast, the songs are longer and more basic when the males sing to the female in her presence.

“We think this has something to do with the complex song being like a calling song, and then when he sees the female, he switches to a simpler song in order to save energy to chase and try to court her at the same time,” said study author Erich Jarvis, an associate professor of neurobiology at Duke University.

“It was surprising to me how much change occurs to these songs in different social contexts, when the songs are thought to be innate,” he added. “It is clear that the mouse’s ability to vocalize is a lot more limited than a songbird’s or human’s, and yet it’s remarkable that we can find these differences in song complexity.”

Continued ...

Wail, Chuck, Snort: Rock Hyraxes Sing Complex Songs

Small mammals called hyraxes "sing" long and complex songs to announce their territory. New research shows these songs are never repeated and have regional dialects, because neighbors tend to steal each other's special vocal twists.

"We aren't claiming they have a language," study researcher Arik Kershenbaum, of the University of Haifa, in Israel, told LiveScience. "But they are showing some of the characteristics that are essential for true language."

The rock hyrax is a small, sturdy mammal that lives in Africa and the Middle East and, strangely enough, is a relative of the elephant. It eats plants and possibly bugs and lives in small groups, usually dominated by one male. This male has a tendency to stand up and shout — singing songs that are complex and can go on for "a number of minutes," Kershenbaum said.

The songs also seem to be a form of self-advertisement, kind of like birdsong.

Read on:  http://www.livescience.com/19743-rock-hyrax-song-dialect.html

Tiny Crooners: Male House Mice Sing Songs to Impress the Girls

ScienceDaily (Jan. 26, 2012) — It comes as a surprise to many that male house mice produce melodious songs to attract mates.  Unfortunately for us, because the melodies are in the ultra-sonic range human ears cannot detect them.  Through spectrographic analyses of the vocalizations of wild house mice, researchers at the University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna  have found that the songs of male mice contain signals of individuality and kinship. 

Their results appear in the journal Physiology & Behavior and in theJournal of Ethology.

It has been known for some time that house mice (Mus musculus) produce ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs) during courtship but it has generally been assumed that these are no more than squeaks. However, recent spectrographic analyses have revealed that USVs are complex and show features of song.  Although the vocalizations are inaudible to human ears, when playbacks of recorded songs are slowed down their similarity to bird song becomes striking.  Frauke Hoffmann, Kerstin Musolf and Dustin Penn of the University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna’s  Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology aimed to learn what type of information is contained in males’ songs for the discerning ear of the female mouse to detect.  Their initial studies, the first to study song in wild mice, confirmed that males emit songs when they encounter a females’ scent and that females are attracted to males’ songs.  Additionally, the scientists discovered that females are able to distinguish siblings from unrelated males by their songs – even though they had previously never heard their brothers sing.

In their recent studies, Penn’s group recorded and analysed the courtship calls of wild-caught male house mice for the first time, using digital audio software to examine parameters such as duration, pitch and frequency.  They found that males’ songs contain “signatures” or “fingerprints” that differ from one individual to another.  Moreover, they confirmed that the songs of siblings are very similar to one another compared to the songs of unrelated males, which helps explains how females can distinguish unrelated males.  This finding could potentially lead us to understand how female mice avoid inbreeding. 

Interestingly, in some species of birds the males with the most complex songs appear to be most successful at attracting females.  Further studies are needed to determine whether the complexity of male mouse vocalizations has an effect on females that is similar to that of “sexy syllables” in birds.

The vocalizations of wild house mice differ significantly from those of inbred strains of laboratory mice.  Wild male mice produce more syllables within high frequency ranges than laboratory mice, a result that is consistent with other studies that find genetic effects on mouse song. “It seems as though house mice might provide a new model organism for the study of song in animals,” says Dustin Penn.  “Who would have thought that?”

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120126100633.htm