Lemur uses opera technique to project its voice
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Researchers studying Indris, the largest lemur species, in the rainforests of northeastern Madagascar discovered the animals adjust their mouths while singing, mirroring a technique used by opera singers.
A team led by behavioral biologist Filippo Carugati analyzed 83 videos of 19 wild Indris, carefully tracking lip movements with software. They found the lemurs widen their mouths as they sing higher notes, a strategy to carry their calls further through the dense forest.
This vocal technique isn’t unique to Indris or humans. Wolves can lower their jaws to amplify certain frequencies when howling, and songbirds like the Northern Cardinal adjust their vocal tracts for more efficient sound transmission. However, the precision with which Indris coordinate their vocalizations with physical movements surprised the researchers, as this level of coordination is usually associated with trained human singers. Indris use their loud, complex songs to strengthen family bonds and warn other groups to stay away.
The study suggests that both humans and Indris developed this vocal technique independently through convergent evolution, similar traits arising in different species facing similar challenges. Singing is uncommon among primates, yet it has evolved in four separate groups, now comprising 16 percent of all primate species.
