Spontaneous rhythm discrimination in a mammalian vocal learner

Rhythm and vocal production learning are building blocks of human music and speech. Vocal learning has been hypothesized as a prerequisite for rhythmic capacities. Yet, no mammalian vocal learner but humans have shown the capacity to flexibly and spontaneously discriminate rhythmic patterns. Here we...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Biology letters (2005) 2022-10, Vol.18 (10), p.20220316-20220316
Main Authors: Verga, Laura, Sroka, Marlene G U, Varola, Mila, Villanueva, Stella, Ravignani, Andrea
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal Behaviour
Animals
Humans
Music
Seals, Earless
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Summary:Rhythm and vocal production learning are building blocks of human music and speech. Vocal learning has been hypothesized as a prerequisite for rhythmic capacities. Yet, no mammalian vocal learner but humans have shown the capacity to flexibly and spontaneously discriminate rhythmic patterns. Here we tested untrained rhythm discrimination in a mammalian vocal learning species, the harbour seal ( ). Twenty wild-born seals were exposed to music-like playbacks of conspecific call sequences varying in basic rhythmic properties. These properties were called length, sequence regularity, and overall tempo. All three features significantly influenced seals' reaction (number of looks and their duration), demonstrating spontaneous rhythm discrimination in a vocal learning mammal. This finding supports the rhythm-vocal learning hypothesis and showcases pinnipeds as promising models for comparative research on rhythmic phylogenies.
ISSN:1744-957X
1744-9561
1744-957X
DOI:10.1098/rsbl.2022.0316