Fossilized dinosaur voice box suggests they sounded birdlike

March 21, 2023 11:29 PM

A fossilized ankylosaur voice box reveals that these animals may have sported a far more sophisticated vocal range than scientists originally thought. Here is the link to the popular science article. Here is the link to the peer-reviewed journal article, one of the authors is Mark A. Norell from the American Museum of Natural History. (Communications Biology volume 6, article number: 152, 2023)
posted by chariot pulled by cassowaries (17 comments total)

One of my favorite dinosaurs, and I just want to imagine it’s got a low muttering voice muttering to itself as it knocks things around like a cat pushing things off the shelf: “fuck this thing, fuck that thing, hey buddy, less you wanna get hit, you best scoot” as it trundles through the prehistoric landscape.
posted by Ghidorah at 1:17 AM on March 22, 2023 [16 favorites]

3d print the bad boy and let ‘er rip, daddy wants fun sounds
posted by BlunderingArtist at 4:16 AM on March 22, 2023 [4 favorites]

You can teach a bird to talk. I'm re-imagining that scene in Jurassic Park where the T-Rex eye looms out of the darkness and it says 'squawk who's a pretty boy?'
posted by adept256 at 5:03 AM on March 22, 2023 [10 favorites]

Birdlike dinosaurs are for some reason scarier than the old lizard-like concepts. Maybe cause I'm expecting the big lizard-like things to rumble and roar, but if it lets rip with squaks and trills it seems more alien.
posted by Harald74 at 5:37 AM on March 22, 2023 [2 favorites]

But very neat discovery!
posted by Harald74 at 5:37 AM on March 22, 2023

Please tell me that someone out there has taken clips from Jurassic Park and dubbed them over with bird sounds. I beg.
posted by eekernohan at 5:46 AM on March 22, 2023 [2 favorites]

What we need is a remake of The Flintstones, but with 100% realistic dinosaur and caveman voices.
posted by Strange Interlude at 6:04 AM on March 22, 2023 [1 favorite]

Back in the 20th Century there was an album of slowed down — and therefore shifted down in frequency — birdsong.

Which might give an idea of what these anklyosaurs could have sounded like.

I remember it as being titled 'Birds in Space', but I couldn’t find it or anything like it.
posted by jamjam at 6:16 AM on March 22, 2023 [1 favorite]

Opens up the possibility of a pack of velociraptors going "beep beep" as they hunt down their prey.
posted by Not A Thing at 7:07 AM on March 22, 2023 [13 favorites]

so yeah, where there dinosaurs who sounded like chickens? dinos who sang like mockingbirds?

this is very cool and I hope they do 3d print this and give it a whirl. heavenly warbles or the sounds of nightmares???
posted by supermedusa at 9:04 AM on March 22, 2023 [2 favorites]

Back in the 20th Century there was an album of slowed down — and therefore shifted down in frequency — birdsong.

I found several on youtube that are bird songs slowed down.

Some seem to be pitched up to retain the original pitch, while others are just slowed and therefore have a dropped pitch.

I couldn't find ones where only the pitch was dropped but the speed the same . . . that would be cool to hear. (I have audacity that I've only just begun playing with, but haven't a clue how to do what I am describing, but if any of you mefites know how to, please please please do this. For science!)
posted by [insert clever name here] at 9:22 AM on March 22, 2023 [1 favorite]

Imagine the t-rex in Jurrassic Park clucking like a chicken, but at immense, echoing volume. Then 'baw-keck!' when it eats the guy in the outhouse.
posted by The_Vegetables at 9:30 AM on March 22, 2023 [4 favorites]

This isn't exactly news.
posted by grumpybear69 at 9:57 AM on March 22, 2023

Alan!
posted by lharmon at 12:26 PM on March 22, 2023

I am a medium-low dino-fan, but I think I'm excited for my kids to be of age to be REALLY IN to dinosaurs so I can catch up on all the new research since I was 9 years old.
posted by atomicstone at 1:02 PM on March 22, 2023 [2 favorites]

If a dinosaur has a voice box wouldn’t it be talking?
posted by waving at 7:55 PM on March 22, 2023

life imitates art (clickhole, satire)

There’s still a great deal that we don’t know about dinosaurs, but researchers have just made an exciting announcement that gives us a clearer picture of what these extraordinary beasts were like when they roamed the Earth millions of years ago: Prominent paleontologists from around the world have collectively agreed to start saying that stegosauruses had beautiful singing voices, because it’s a nice thought and it’s not like they’re hurting anyone.

posted by sebastienbailard at 12:08 AM on March 23, 2023 [2 favorites]