Journal article
How Low Can You Go? Physical Production Mechanism of Elephant Infrasonic Vocalizations
Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science), Vol.337(6094), pp.595-599
08/03/2012
DOI: 10.1126/science.1219712
PMID: 22859490
Abstract
Elephants can communicate using sounds below the range of human hearing ("infrasounds" below 20 hertz). It is commonly speculated that these vocalizations are produced in the larynx, either by neurally controlled muscle twitching (as in cat purring) or by flow-induced self-sustained vibrations of the vocal folds (as in human speech and song). We used direct high-speed video observations of an excised elephant larynx to demonstrate flow-induced self-sustained vocal fold vibration in the absence of any neural signals, thus excluding the need for any "purring" mechanism. The observed physical principles of voice production apply to a wide variety of mammals, extending across a remarkably large range of fundamental frequencies and body sizes, spanning more than five orders of magnitude.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- How Low Can You Go? Physical Production Mechanism of Elephant Infrasonic Vocalizations
- Creators
- Christian T. Herbst - University of ViennaAngela S. Stoeger - University of ViennaRoland Frey - Leibniz AssociationJoerg Lohscheller - Univ Appl Sci, Dept Comp Sci, D-54293 Trier, GermanyIngo R. Titze - University of UtahMichaela Gumpenberger - University of Veterinary Medicine ViennaW. Tecumseh Fitch - University of Vienna
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science), Vol.337(6094), pp.595-599
- Publisher
- Amer Assoc Advancement Science
- DOI
- 10.1126/science.1219712
- PMID
- 22859490
- ISSN
- 0036-8075
- eISSN
- 1095-9203
- Number of pages
- 5
- Grant note
- P 23099 / Austrian Science Fund (FWF) University of Vienna LO1413/2 / Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft; German Research Foundation (DFG) R01 DC 008612 / National Institute for Deafness and Other Communication Disorders; United States Department of Health & Human Services; National Institutes of Health (NIH) - USA; NIH National Institute on Deafness & Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) European Research Council Advanced Grant SOMACCA; European Research Council (ERC)
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 08/03/2012
- Academic Unit
- School of Music; Communication Sciences and Disorders
- Record Identifier
- 9984719572002771
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