Convergence of calls as animals form social bonds, active compensation for noisy communication channels, and the evolution of vocal learning in mammals
The classic evidence for vocal production learning involves imitation of novel, often anthropogenic sounds. Among mammals, this has been reported for dolphins, elephants, harbor seals, and humans. A broader taxonomic distribution has been reported for vocal convergence, where the acoustic properties of calls from different individuals converge when they are housed together in captivity or […]
Learned vocal group signatures in the polygynous bat Saccopteryx bilineata
Vocal group signatures facilitate group cohesion or the exclusion of nongroup members and thus greatly affect the social system of any given species. This is especially significant for highly mobile animals such as bats. The greater sac-winged bat, Saccopteryx bilineata, lives in a harem-based resource defence polygyny with patrilineal kin groups and female-biased natal dispersal. […]