Scientists are surprised because penguins know how to 'fake' voices

Some species of penguins have the ability to change their voices to resemble their mates in order to seduce them . Previously, this ability was only found in some higher species, including humans.

Researcher Luigi Baciadonna at the University of Turin (Italy) and colleagues followed and recorded the calls of African penguins ( Spheniscus demersus ), distributed across three different areas. For 3 years, the team carefully recorded the sounds birds make when they get to know and communicate with their mates.

African penguins

Luigi Baciadonna has spent years analyzing the specific calls that both male and female penguins make when they come into contact with a mate. He gave symbolic indicators of the sound emitted, such as the frequency and amplitude of each bird in the survey. Then, the team will systematize these indicators into specific models for easy comparison.

As a result, after a period of "conversation" , the acoustic indicators in both male and female species became strangely similar. Up to a certain point in the breeding season, the calls of the "lovers" will almost coincide with each other and be difficult to distinguish.

The "fake" side of the voice is a male bird. The team believes that the ability to "fake" is only found in a small number of higher animals, including humans. Changing the voice is considered by scientists to be one of the most difficult challenges for most animals.

This ability requires perception, the ability to learn through sound and, more importantly, the technique of mimicking the parts that produce the voice. The case of the penguin Spheniscus demersus is considered quite rare.

Baciadonna explains that male penguins developed the ability to imitate voices because of the penguin's habit of living in groups . During the breeding season, birds will search for mates in large flocks, so males are forced to learn to change their voices to "catch up" with the female.

"Imagine you are in a pub, crowded and noisy. You have to figure out how to communicate quickly and effectively with your friends in that chaotic space ," Baciadonna said.

The ability to "imitate" the voice of Spheniscus demersus surprised the scientific world

Sara Torres Ortiz from the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology in Munich (Germany) commented that the findings are very interesting, showing the development of an amazing ability to adapt to sound in the animals.

In particular, the distance between penguins and humans on the evolutionary tree surprised many scientists.

Many experts believe that if they continue to analyze with lower animals, they may discover more species with the ability to learn sounds or other special "voice imitations".