Audible calls and their ontogenetic relationship with ultrasonic vocalization in a rodent with a wide vocal range, the fat-tailed gerbil (Pachyuromys duprasi)

摘要: Ontogeny of audible and ultrasonic calls is poorly studied in Gerbillinae rodents. In this study, analysis calls, emitted by pup adult fat-tailed gerbils Pachyuromys duprasi during 420-s isolation-and-handling procedures, allowed testing two hypotheses. Hypothesis1 predicted that squeaks clicks follow the same ontogenetic pathway (towards higher-frequency shorter calls) has been previously documented for gerbil. Hypothesis2 call types would alternate with along ontogeny species. was tested comparison acoustic variables (squeaks clicks), 1-10-day old pups adults. Clicks 8.3-8.7 kHz high-frequency 1.92-3.57 were present adults, whereas mid-frequency 0.31-0.67 low-frequency 0.04-0.11 only pups. agreement Hypothesis1, longer, lower fundamental frequency higher peak frequency. Against predictions, did not differ acoustically between percentages test trials containing and/or pups, repeatedly 15 age classes from 1 to 40 days The occurred all classes, emerged day five life then prevailed over classes. We discuss that, gerbil, pathways are unusual rodents although typical social echolocation bats. another parallelism communication bats aside recently discovered similarity bat echo-based navigation bouts blind leaping