. | . |
World's oldest vocal organ suggests dinosaurs couldn't sing by Brooks Hays Austin, Texas (UPI) Oct 12, 2016
New research suggests dinosaurs couldn't sing, at least not in the way moderns do. Scientists say a newly discovered ancient voice box, the world's oldest vocal organ, serves as proof that nonavian dinosaurs were without the ability to sing. The organ, called a syrinx, likely appeared late in the evolution of birds. Researchers discovered this 66-million-year-old fossil on Antarctica's Vega Island in 1992, but scientists only recently realized it featured a preserved syrinx. The ancient voice box belongs to the species Vegavis iaai, an early relative of ducks and geese. "This finding helps explain why no such organ has been preserved in a nonbird dinosaur or crocodile relative," Julia Clarke, a paleontologist at the University of Texas, said in a news release. "This is another important step to figuring out what dinosaurs sounded like as well as giving us insight into the evolution of birds." An analysis of the organ's size and structure suggests its owner generated honking sounds via vibrations originating in the left and right portions of the voice box. Characterizing the tone of said honks won't be possible without further analysis of early syrinxes. "Here, we begin to outline how fossilizable characteristics of the syrinx may inform us about sound features, but we need a lot more data on living birds," Goller said. "Remarkably, prior to this work, there is almost no discussion of these important questions." Though the latest findings -- detailed in the journal Nature -- suggest dinosaurs didn't sing, that doesn't mean they were silent. Clarke and her colleagues previously published research suggesting dinosaurs made closed-mouth cooing and purring sounds like doves and ostriches.
Related Links Explore The Early Earth at TerraDaily.com
|
|
The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us. |