Abstract
Long distance calls function to regulate intergroup spacing, attract mating partners, and/or repel competitors. Therefore, they may not only provide information about the sex (if both sexes are calling) but also about the condition of the caller. This paper provides a description of the acoustic features of roars recorded from 18 male and 6 female lions (Panthera leo) living in the Serengeti National park, Tanzania. After analyzing whether these roars differ between the sexes, tests whether male roars may function as indicators of their fighting ability or condition were conducted. Therefore, call characteristics were tested for relation to anatomical features as size, mane color, or mane length. Call characteristics included acoustic parameters that previously had been implied as indicators of size and fighting ability, e.g., call length, fundamental frequency, and peak frequency. The analysis revealed differences in relation to sex, which were entirely explained by variation in body size. No evidence that acoustic variables were related to male condition was found, indicating that sexual selection might only be a weak force modulating the lion's roar. Instead, lion roars may have mainly been selected to effectively advertise territorial boundaries.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 3947-3953 |
| Number of pages | 7 |
| Journal | Journal of the Acoustical Society of America |
| Volume | 121 |
| Issue number | 6 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Jun 11 2007 |
Fingerprint
Cite this
Do acoustic features of lion, Panthera leo, roars reflect sex and male condition? / Pfefferle, Dana; West, Peyton M.; Grinnell, Jon; Packer, Craig; Fischer, Julia.
In: Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, Vol. 121, No. 6, 11.06.2007, p. 3947-3953.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Do acoustic features of lion, Panthera leo, roars reflect sex and male condition?
AU - Pfefferle, Dana
AU - West, Peyton M.
AU - Grinnell, Jon
AU - Packer, Craig
AU - Fischer, Julia
PY - 2007/6/11
Y1 - 2007/6/11
N2 - Long distance calls function to regulate intergroup spacing, attract mating partners, and/or repel competitors. Therefore, they may not only provide information about the sex (if both sexes are calling) but also about the condition of the caller. This paper provides a description of the acoustic features of roars recorded from 18 male and 6 female lions (Panthera leo) living in the Serengeti National park, Tanzania. After analyzing whether these roars differ between the sexes, tests whether male roars may function as indicators of their fighting ability or condition were conducted. Therefore, call characteristics were tested for relation to anatomical features as size, mane color, or mane length. Call characteristics included acoustic parameters that previously had been implied as indicators of size and fighting ability, e.g., call length, fundamental frequency, and peak frequency. The analysis revealed differences in relation to sex, which were entirely explained by variation in body size. No evidence that acoustic variables were related to male condition was found, indicating that sexual selection might only be a weak force modulating the lion's roar. Instead, lion roars may have mainly been selected to effectively advertise territorial boundaries.
AB - Long distance calls function to regulate intergroup spacing, attract mating partners, and/or repel competitors. Therefore, they may not only provide information about the sex (if both sexes are calling) but also about the condition of the caller. This paper provides a description of the acoustic features of roars recorded from 18 male and 6 female lions (Panthera leo) living in the Serengeti National park, Tanzania. After analyzing whether these roars differ between the sexes, tests whether male roars may function as indicators of their fighting ability or condition were conducted. Therefore, call characteristics were tested for relation to anatomical features as size, mane color, or mane length. Call characteristics included acoustic parameters that previously had been implied as indicators of size and fighting ability, e.g., call length, fundamental frequency, and peak frequency. The analysis revealed differences in relation to sex, which were entirely explained by variation in body size. No evidence that acoustic variables were related to male condition was found, indicating that sexual selection might only be a weak force modulating the lion's roar. Instead, lion roars may have mainly been selected to effectively advertise territorial boundaries.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=34249886020&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=34249886020&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1121/1.2722507
DO - 10.1121/1.2722507
M3 - Article
C2 - 17552741
AN - SCOPUS:34249886020
VL - 121
SP - 3947
EP - 3953
JO - Journal of the Acoustical Society of America
JF - Journal of the Acoustical Society of America
SN - 0001-4966
IS - 6
ER -