Scientists Discover Horses Can Whistle and Sing at the Same Time
Study identifies horses use vocal fold vibrations and a laryngeal whistle to create two-toned whinnies, a rare vocal ability that conveys complex emotional messages.
- Scientists have discovered that horses produce their signature call, known as a whinny, by using two different sound-making systems simultaneously: vibrating their vocal folds like humans singing to create a low tone, and also generating a high-pitched whistle inside their larynx.
- This dual sound production likely evolved so that horses can communicate more than one message in a single call, with the two fundamental frequencies conveying different messages about the horse's emotions.
- Despite living alongside humans for over 4,000 years, scientists still know relatively little about how horses communicate vocally, and the whinny's surprisingly high frequencies for such a large mammal had remained a mystery until this study.
65 Articles
65 Articles
In new investigations, researchers have discovered a rare tuning phenomenon in horses. Their whining consists of two simultaneous basic frequencies.
Study focused on horse racing mechanism, since horses, such as bears and zebras, do not seem to have the acute component, suggesting that horses have unique vocal adaptations.
The Science Behind a Horse's Whinny? Whistling
Horses whinny to find new friends, greet old ones, and celebrate happy moments like feeding time. How exactly horses produce that distinctive sound—for the uninitiated, also called a neigh—has long eluded scientists, reports the AP . The whinny is an unusual combination of both high- and low-pitched sounds, like...
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