Nonlinear phenomena (NLP) are often associated with high arousal and function to grab attention and/or signal urgency in vocalizations such as distress calls. Although biomechanical models vivo / ex experiments suggest that their occurrence reflects the destabilization of vocal fold vibration under intense subglottal pressure muscle tension, comprehensive descriptions dynamics NLP natural signals critically lacking. Here, plug this gap, we report timing, type, extent acoustic context 12 011...

What makes the painful cries of human babies so difficult to ignore? Vocal traits known as 'nonlinear phenomena’ are prime candidates. These acoustic irregularities common in babies’ and typically associated with high levels distress or pain. Despite vital importance for a baby’s survival, how these nonlinear phenomena drive pain perception adult listeners has not previously been systematically investigated. Here, by combining analyses recorded different contexts playback experiments using...

As acoustic markers of emotional state, nonlinear phenomena (NLP) are commonly found in the calls that young mammals produce to solicit attention from their parents. However, data lacking assess ontogeny these NLP during early development, including extent which cues vary with age and sex emitter. In present study, we evaluated occurrence contact northern elephant seal ( Mirounga angustirostris ) pups emit maternal care three-week period dependence. We five types at an age. The relative...

In most human societies, grandparents often provide substantial care and support for their grandchildren, including as babies. Given that previous studies have shown ageing is accompanied by a gradual decline in our ability to identify other people’s emotions, does age also reduce skill at understanding baby’s cries? Here, we show older people with experience of caring babies remain able correctly decode the information conveyed babies’ cries. The results psychoacoustic experiments underline...

SUMMARY In the subantarctic fur seal Arctocephalus tropicalis, mothers leave their pups during rearing period to make long and frequent feeding trips sea. When a female returns from ocean, she has find her pup among several hundred others. Taking into account both spectral temporal domains, we investigated individual vocal signature occurring in ‘female attraction call’ used by attract mother. We calculated intra- inter-individual variability for each measured acoustic cue isolate those...

Pet-directed speech is strikingly similar to infant-directed speech, a peculiar speaking pattern with higher pitch and slower tempo known engage infants' attention promote language learning. Here, we report the first investigation of potential factors modulating use dog-directed as well its immediate impact on dogs' behaviour. We recorded adult participants in front pictures puppies, old dogs, analysed quality their speech. then performed playback experiments assess reaction compared normal...

While nonlinear phenomena (NLP) are widely reported in animal vocalizations, often causing perceptual harshness and roughness, their communicative function remains debated. Several hypotheses have been put forward: attention-grabbing, communication of distress, exaggeration body size dominance. Here, we use state-of-the-art sound synthesis to investigate how NLP affect the perception puppy whines by human listeners. Listeners assessed or dominance conveyed synthetic with manipulated NLP,...

Among mammals living in social groups, individuals form communication networks where they signal their identity and status, facilitating interaction. In spite of its importance for understanding mammalian societies, the coding individual-related information vocal signals non-primate has been relatively neglected. The present study focuses on spotted hyena Crocuta crocuta, a carnivore known complex female-dominated society. We investigate if how well-known hyena's laugh, also as giggle call,...

Crying is a vital built-in survival mechanism for the human baby. Yet both information carried by cries and factors driving perception reaction of adult listeners remain under-investigated. Here, we contrasted relevance psycho-acoustic vs. acoustic evaluation assessment distress levels in babies’ recorded during baths an immunization event. Parents were asked to rate level experienced babies from listening their attributed lower pain ratings mild discomfort (bath) than (vaccination) but...

Voice pitch (the perceptual correlate of fundamental frequency, F 0) varies considerably even among individuals the same sex and age, communicating a host socially evolutionarily relevant information. However, due to almost exclusive utilization cross-sectional designs in previous studies, it remains unknown whether these individual differences voice emerge before, during or after sexual maturation, stable into adulthood. Here, we measured 0 parameters men who were recorded once every 7...

Voice pitch (fundamental frequency, F0) is a key dimension of our voice that varies between sexes after puberty, and also among individuals the same sex both before puberty. While recent longitudinal study indicates inter-individual differences in remain stable men during adulthood may even be determined puberty (Fouquet et al. 2016 R. Soc. open sci.3, 160395. (doi:10.1098/rsos.160395)), whether these emerge infancy remains unknown. Here, using design, we investigate hypothesis F0 are...

Abstract Communicating species identity is a key component of many animal signals. However, whether selection for recognition systematically increases signal diversity during clade radiation remains debated. Here we show that in woodpecker drumming, rhythmic used mating and territorial defense, the amount information encoded remained stable woodpeckers’ radiation. Acoustic analyses evolutionary reconstructions interchange among six main drumming types despite strong phylogenetic...

What information is encoded in the cries of human babies? While it widely recognized that can encode distress levels, whether reliably cause crying remains disputed. Here, we collected 39201 from 24 babies recorded their homes longitudinally, 15 days to 3.5 months age, a database share publicly for reuse. Based on parental action stopped crying, which matched evaluation cry 75% cases, each was classified as caused by discomfort, hunger, or isolation. Our analyses show baby provide reliable...

Summary In recent years, the idea has flourished that plants emit and perceive sound could even be capable of exchanging information through acoustic channel. While research into plant bioacoustics is still in its infancy, with potentially fascinating discoveries awaiting ahead, here we show current knowledge not conclusive. do sounds under biotic abiotic stresses such as drought, these are high‐pitched, low intensity, propagate only to a short distance. Most studies suggesting sensitivity...

Chicks perform conspicuous begging behaviour in response to the arrival of a parent. In seabirds colonies, as nests are close each other, chicks permanently surrounded by sound and visual stimuli produced adult conspecifics approaching their nests. However, spite these conditions, black‐headed gull begin vocalize parent approaches even before they can see it. this paper, we report field experiments testing sound‐based discrimination parents chicks. Focusing on ‘long call’, i.e. signal...