If we think about dinosaurs, it’s normal to imagine that they radiate growl or growl, like in the movies. However, it appears that ankylosaurus (Pinacosaurus grangerie), known for its curious beaked carapaces, is actually sang like a bird.
This is the conclusion of a study recently published in Connection with nature and it is true that this should not surprise us too much. In the end, relationship between birds and dinosaurs this is well known. However, findings from the fossils of their vocal apparatus showed that the sounds were not one of their points of convergence. We also can’t be sure what the dinosaurs sounded like. In fact, for the roar and growl Jurassic Park a mixture of the calls of other animals was used, mixed with a certain dose of imagination.
Now, thanks to the preserved fossil ankylosaurus larynxwe know he had a lot in common with typical bird structure. Because of this, he may have looked more like a bird. But more like a parrot than a nightingale. It would be very nice.
Why did the ankylosaurus sound like a bird?
The authors of this study are from Hokkaido University Museumin Japan and New York Museum of Natural Historyworked on a fossilized larynx of an ankylosaurus specimen that must have lived 72-84 million years ago. Thus, it is the oldest recorded dinosaur larynx of this type.
It is logical to assume that this is a very interesting fossil to study. And these scientists were preparing for it when something caught their attention. It had much in common with a typical bird organ: syrinx.
It is located at the base of the trachea and helps make sounds through vibrations the organ itself without the use of the vocal cords. Here’s how they produce this distinctive song, and how some, like parrots, can even imitate the human voice.
In the case of the ankylosaurus there was no syringe. But his larynx was very similar to this organ. In fact, while the larynx of most animals serves to close the glottis and avoiding suffocation, among other functions, Ankylosaurus does not appear to have had such an ability. On the contrary, its walls could have the ability to vibrate and make sounds, like those of birds. In particular, the characteristics of the sound could be similar to the sound of parrots.
What were these sounds for?
It is impossible to know exactly what singing ankylosaurus. However, the authors of the study do not believe that this was too different from the calls of other dinosaurs. That is, they would probably use it for courtship between males and females, for calls to their children, and also for marking territory and protection from predators.
Okay, that sounds a lot more menacing. roar Tirex Just like we saw in the movies. But a parrot can become very perceptive if it tunes in to it. We do not exclude that singing an ankylosaurus would be more intimidating than a big dinosaur.
Source: Hiper Textual
