Male rock hyrax sings to attract potential female partners

In search of potential female mates, male rock Hyraxes display a dexterous and sweet special talent: singing. Research has shown that the ability of Hyraxes to keep a beat during courtship is associated with reproductive success.

What is a hyrax?According to the African Wildlife Foundation website (AWF), the hyrax, also known as the rock hare, is a small mammal. The AWF’s website identifies Hyraxes as strong, oversized guinea pigs. They are active in the morning and love to bask in the sun at the entrance to the shelter.

The AWF added that there are three hyraxes that look nearly identical: two are rock hyraxes or busy hyraxes, and a third is tree hyrax. In East Africa, the rock hyrax is the most abundant.

In addition, Dr. Vlad Demartsev said their team has been studying hyraxes for the past 20 years.They have discovered patterns in hyrax songs that appear to be a common feature of music and human language, according to a media outlet Press Releases Posted in EurekaAlert and physical organization September 13, 2022.

Dematsev is a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Konstanz’s Department of Biology and the Max Planck Institute for Animal Behavior, the report added.

Also read: Rock Hyrax urine helps track climate change history

According to the AWF, rock hyraxes have a short diet. They eat quickly with their families, carefully watching for predators or threats around them. Hyraxes can also survive long periods of time without water.

The role of rhythm in singing hyrax

(JEAN-CHRISTOPHE VERHAEGEN/AFP via Getty Images)

Rhythm is how animals coordinate with each other, from individual to group. Some males, such as hyraxes, sing in search of mates.

According to the press release, Dr. Demartsev said rhythm plays a crucial role in the animals’ communication, and it’s like a band synchronizing their songs.

The report also explains that male rock hyraxes sing alone. The reason is to avoid animals competing with their mates.

Furthermore, the findings suggest that hyraxes maintain a stable isochronous rhythm. The sound appears periodically. In addition, the way hyraxes sing has a local dialect, which means that the hyraxes around them have similarities in their singing.

To learn more about hyrax singing patterns, the researchers investigated the role of rhythm in mammalian courtship. From 2002 to 2013, scientists monitored the morning activities of hyrax in the Ein Gedi Nature Reserve in eastern Israel.

During their investigation, they released important information about the animal.

Dr. Lee Koren, co-founder of the hyrax study in collaboration with Dr. Eli Geffen and Bar-School of Life Sciences researchers, said male hyraxes who sang regularly were said to be associated with greater offspring survival, individual quality and reproductive success. Yilan University.

challenge

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However, that AWF Say, the challenge Hyrax faces today is human encroachment on their habitat. It explains that as the population grows, it threatens the habits of animals when they enter wildlife spaces.

To learn more about hyraxes, access African Wildlife Foundation website.

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