IUCN / SSC Cat Specialist Group - Digital Cat Library |
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| Peters, G. | |
| Acoustic communication in the Felidae - Beyond Purring and Roaring | |
| 2007 Conference Proceeding | |
Particular felid vocalizations like purring and roaring have continued to intrigue scientists and laypersons for a long time. Already during the first half of the 19th century the presence resp. absence of these two vocalization types in species of the Felidae were hypothesized to be correlated with differences in their hyoid anatomy and were regarded as the decisive characters to separate the subfamilies Felinae and Pantherinae. Detailed vocalization data of varied scope are currently available in more than 30 of the 39 extant felid species. All felid species share a 'basic' acoustic signal repertoire, comparable both in respect of repertoire composition and size; several vocalization types are restricted to a few species each only. Both graded and discrete sound types occur. Felid vocalization data are used to test general concepts in vertebrate acoustic communication like the frequency scaling rule and the acoustic adaptation hypothesis. The recently published complete molecular phylogenetic tree of the Felidae represents a rigorous framework within which vocalization character distribution and evolution can be studied and hypotheses as to ultimate causes of vocalization character stasis or change in this carnivore family can be put forward. |
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