This explores an interesting field of paleoacoustics: the study of sound connected to ancient animals, and especially dinosaurs. It goes on to explain how recent research is challenging this notion of dinosaurs, like T. rex, roaring maniacally when actually many probably made closed-mouth vocalizations.
Paleo-investigations shed light on how the sounds that might have been produced by the dinosaurs were probably more subdued and varied than popular culture may lead us to believe. It shows also how filmmakers, like in the case of Jurassic Park, came up with their fancy dinosaur sound effects by recording various modern animals, thereby combining science with film imagination.
Did Dinosaurs Roar?
If you think about the concept of dinosaurs in reality, what do you envision? For most people, the term dinosaurs defines Jurassic Park in a nutshell; the image of gigantic reptilian, scaly-skinned monsters who roar thunderously and thud against the movie screen. Well, entertainment is only but one aspect, as research introduced fresh and exciting findings with respect to this subject.
Although research points out that the roar as often popularly perceived concerning the dinosaurs is probably an error, this article looks deeper at how dinosaurs may have actually made their sounds, discussing points raised by a paleontology expert and how filmmakers brought it into reality.
Paleoacoustics and Dinosaur Sounds
We have interviewed Dr. Julia Clarke, a paleontologist from the University of Texas to study paleoacoustics-the science concerning sounds of interest for fossils in the non-avian dinosaurs and their evolutionary descendants called birds. The ancient bird aged between 66 to 68 million years old was discovered, during the mid-1990s in Antarctica, naming it Vegavis iaai.
Dr. Clarke studied this fossil and, in 2013, discovered a vocal organ, unique to birds, called a syrinx. In modern species of birds, the syrinx produces the numerous sounds we identify as bird songs or calls. This finding indicates that Vegavis probably honked, like a goose does, because the third portion of the syrinx was asymmetrical.
When we asked Dr. Clarke why it took nearly two decades to identify the syrinx after the fossil’s original discovery, she explained that “discovery is not just one moment.” She received the fossil for study in 2008, and while preparing to return it in 2012, she reviewed its computed tomographic (CT) scan images once more and noticed a tiny structure that resembled a simple bone fragment. To her surprise, it was the syrinx! Clarke and her co-authors report that we still do not know when the syrinx arose, but so far non-avian dinosaur fossils have not shown this structure. Vegavis is a cousin of modern bird species and no earlier dinosaur syrinxes have been found in many searches.
The Roaring Misconception
Feared predators, carnivorous dinosaurs are often portrayed as fearsome hunters, letting out a roar as they chase down their prey. But in light of recent studies on living birds, this is a farce. According to Dr. Clarke, most dinosaurs likely made closed-mouth vocalizations rather than open-mouth roars. Closed-mouth vocalizations are produced by animals inflating their esophagus or tracheal pouches while keeping their mouths shut.
The sounds would be similar to low-pitched swooshing, growling, or cooing. These closed-mouth vocalizations are very unlike open-mouth vocalizations, typical of bird calls. Closed-mouth sounds may be more profound and drum-like in contrast to the rich, musical variety of bird calls. Closed-mouth modern examples include the growls of crocodilians and the booming calls of ostriches. Based on these facts, most dinosaurs cannot be considered as open-mouth vocalizers, but perhaps some were closed-mouth sounders.
In a sad twist, birds descended from theropods: all theropods possess the characteristics of hollowed out, bipedal creatures; it is unlikely they possessed the complex vocalization qualities characteristic of modern songbirds.
Roars of Jurassic Park
Well, it’s little disappointing, too, that we just learned the scary blood curdling roars of Jurassic Park are not scientifically possible to be made by an organism at all. According to the existing evidence, it seems that Tyrannosaurus rex had produced some kind of closed-mouth vocalization; however, in all films, whenever the Tyrannosaurus roars, it has opened its mouth. Now the question comes out, who or what actually provided voice for Tyrannosaurus and the dinosaurs of Jurassic Park?
Mainly, the voice sounds used to produce Tyrannosaurus’s roars were mostly taken from recording elephant bellows. Other sounds featured includes crocodilians growl, lion and tiger’s roar, but surprisingly of bear is absent, the sudden spouting of water in the mouth of a whale; growling from the sound designer himself in a personal contribution, whose furry dog could also growl in time.
Other fauna are contributed to different dinos as hawking donkey, neighing horses, growling tortoise, whistling dolphin, howling monkeys, oinking pigs, barking fennec fox, and chirping birds. Most of these noises were altered and pitched either to a higher or lower level depending on the demanded use.
Another highly advertised myth the franchise of Jurassic Park propagated is the existence of a “Velociraptor resonating chamber.” In the movie Jurassic Park III, characters seek a “Velociraptor resonating chamber,” which enables them to communicate with the pack of Velociraptors.
However, Dr. Clarke and Dr. Matt Lamanna, a paleontologist at Carnegie Museum of Natural History, have both proved that such an entity did not exist. Even if it did, it would only amplify the sound- that is, the auditory vibrations traveling through air-but would neither change the quality or timbre of the sound nor its pitch-the how high or low a sound is. This would have prevented humans from mimicking Velociraptor sounds as depicted in the movie.
Furthermore, knowing how closed-mouth vocalizations function eliminates the concept of a resonating chamber altogether. The vocalization structures consist of esophageal or tracheal pouches, but no such thing as a “resonating chamber” exists.
The Ongoing Mystery of Dinosaur Sounds
What non-avian dinosaurs really sounded like is one mystery being pursued by committed researchers like Dr. Clarke. Even though movies such as Jurassic Park will most certainly fuel public interest in dinosaurs and paleontology, a rational next step would be to go to institutions like the Carnegie Museum of Natural History to find out the real facts!
We thank Dr. Julia Clarke and Dr. Matt Lamanna for the great generosity in sharing their insights and expertise through our blog. We feel much enriched because of it, and we thank them with all our hearts.
FAQs
Did dinosaurs really roar?
No, evidence suggests that many dinosaurs likely produced closed-mouth vocalizations, unlike the open-mouthed roars commonly portrayed in films.
What is a syrinx?
A syrinx is a vocal organ found in birds that produces sounds. Dr. Julia Clarke discovered a syrinx in the fossil of Vegavis iaai, indicating that some ancient birds could produce vocalizations.
How were dinosaur sounds created for Jurassic Park?
Sounds for the dinosaurs in Jurassic Park were created using a mix of recordings from various animals, including elephants, crocodilians, and even dogs, which were edited and manipulated for effect.
What is paleoacoustics?
Paleoacoustics is the study of sounds associated with fossils and helps scientists understand how ancient animals may have communicated.
References
Analysis of fossilized Antarctic bird’s ‘voice box’ suggests dinosaurs couldn’t sing. (2016, October 12). National Science Foundation. Retrieved March 7, 2021, from https://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=189996
Clarke, J. (2016, July 16). New Research Debunks The Dinosaur’s Roar (Interview by L. Wertheimer) [Radio broadcast]. In Weekend Edition Saturday. National Public Radio. https://www.npr.org/2016/07/16/486279631/new-research-debunks-the-dinosaurs-roar
Riede, T., Eliason, C. M., Miller, E. H., Goller, F., & Clarke, J. A. (2016). Coos, booms, and hoots: The evolution of closed-mouth vocal behavior in birds. Evolution, 1734-1746. https://doi.org/10.1111/evo.12988
Taylor, D. (Host), & Nelson, A., & Clarke, J. (n.d.). Tyrannosaurus FX (No. 105) [Audio podcast episode]. In L. Battison (Producer), Twenty Thousand Hertz. Twenty Thousand Hertz. https://www.20k.org/episodes/tyrannosaurusfx
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