Squeak squeak

[vaneramos]

Mice sing.

Researchers have known for a while that mice made ultrasonic vocalizations. As Quirks and Quarks reports, Dr. Timothy Holy started analyzing these male mouse vocalizations and demonstrated they have complexity comparable to birdsongs. He also transposed them down several octaves so the human ear can hear and appreciate. What social function they might serve remains a subject for further study.

Holy and his colleagues made the discovery while studying scent rather than sound. They were researching how male mice responded to pheromones and came across earlier reports about these sounds. Many scientific discoveries happen that way: researchers examining one question will solve an unrelated problem.

Mouse song might seem trivial, but to me it is evidence of richness of life and the universe. Most of that complexity may lie beyond easy comprehension, but some, it turns out, is simply undiscovered.

It reminds me of last year: while writing Pilgrim’s Cross for NaNoWriMo, I kept getting ideas for Tendril’s story. Now that I’m concentrating on Tendril, I’m stuck again. ghostsandrobots suggested shaking things up a bit, and I’m considering how to do that. The answer might be under my nose or, as the case may be, around my ears.

Comments

[art-thirst.livejournal.com]

I know all about those mouse fucking noises! I've been hearing 'em lately! ;-))

[vaneramos.livejournal.com]

And I have starlings making a terrible racket outside my window every morning. I guess music is in the ear of the beholder. ;-)

not trivial at all

[queenmomcat.livejournal.com]

I think mouse song falls into the category "the universe is stranger than we can imagine". How fascinating/beautiful!

Having lived with cats for many years, it doesn't surprise me in the slightest that mice can communicate in frequencies too high for humans to hear--I've seen cats react to sounds which humans cannot possibly detect (just as we react to visual input which doesn't register with cats).

Re: not trivial at all

[vaneramos.livejournal.com]

It comes back to the intriguing philosophical question, "What is it like to be a bat?" It's interesting to consider how a bat or a cat experiences its world, much different from the way we do.