<p>Grasshopper mice, rodents known for their remarkably loud call, produce sounds in the same way as humans speak and wolves howl, a study has found.<br /><br />Researchers, including those from Northern Arizona University (NAU) in the US, found that grasshopper mice employ both a traditional whistle-like mechanism used by other mice and rats and a unique airflow-induced tissue vibration like that of humans.<br /><br />They used heliox experiments, laryngeal and vocal tract morphological investigations and biomechanical modelling to investigate how grasshopper mice produce spectacular long- distance calls.<br /><br />"Our findings provide the first evidence of a mouse that produces sound like humans and sets the stage for studies on vocal injuries and ageing," said Bret Pasch, assistant professor at NAU.<br /><br />"Moreover, the research provides a baseline for a larger comparative analysis of vocalisations in rodents, which comprise more than 40 per cent of mammalian diversity but whose many voices remain undiscovered," said Pasch.<br /><br />Grasshopper mice are predatory rodents that inhabit deserts, grasslands and prairies of the western US and northern Mexico.<br /><br />Like most mice, grasshopper mice produce ultrasonic vocalisations above the range of human hearing in close- distance social interactions through whistle-like mechanisms.<br /><br />Unlike other mice, grasshopper mice also produce long- distance audible vocalisations, or advertisement vocalisations.<br /><br />Both male and female animals often assume an upright posture and open their mouths widely to generate a loud call that may carry more than 100 meters.<br /><br />Grasshopper mice have relatively large home ranges, so their calls serve as a mechanism to detect mates and competitors across large distances.<br /><br />Imaging the voice box of grasshopper mice revealed a thin layer of connective tissue and a tiny structure called a vocal membrane previously only described in detail in echolocating bats.<br /><br />In addition, the mice possess a bell-shaped vocal tract, similar in shape to a loudspeaker, which increases vocal intensity, just like opera singers.</p>
<p>Grasshopper mice, rodents known for their remarkably loud call, produce sounds in the same way as humans speak and wolves howl, a study has found.<br /><br />Researchers, including those from Northern Arizona University (NAU) in the US, found that grasshopper mice employ both a traditional whistle-like mechanism used by other mice and rats and a unique airflow-induced tissue vibration like that of humans.<br /><br />They used heliox experiments, laryngeal and vocal tract morphological investigations and biomechanical modelling to investigate how grasshopper mice produce spectacular long- distance calls.<br /><br />"Our findings provide the first evidence of a mouse that produces sound like humans and sets the stage for studies on vocal injuries and ageing," said Bret Pasch, assistant professor at NAU.<br /><br />"Moreover, the research provides a baseline for a larger comparative analysis of vocalisations in rodents, which comprise more than 40 per cent of mammalian diversity but whose many voices remain undiscovered," said Pasch.<br /><br />Grasshopper mice are predatory rodents that inhabit deserts, grasslands and prairies of the western US and northern Mexico.<br /><br />Like most mice, grasshopper mice produce ultrasonic vocalisations above the range of human hearing in close- distance social interactions through whistle-like mechanisms.<br /><br />Unlike other mice, grasshopper mice also produce long- distance audible vocalisations, or advertisement vocalisations.<br /><br />Both male and female animals often assume an upright posture and open their mouths widely to generate a loud call that may carry more than 100 meters.<br /><br />Grasshopper mice have relatively large home ranges, so their calls serve as a mechanism to detect mates and competitors across large distances.<br /><br />Imaging the voice box of grasshopper mice revealed a thin layer of connective tissue and a tiny structure called a vocal membrane previously only described in detail in echolocating bats.<br /><br />In addition, the mice possess a bell-shaped vocal tract, similar in shape to a loudspeaker, which increases vocal intensity, just like opera singers.</p>