A fossilized voice box that is 80 million years old was recently found. The discovery suggests that these prehistoric beasts may have sounded more birdlike than previously thought.
Fossilized Voice Box of Dinosaurs
Live Science reports that specialists found a Pinacosaurus grangeri, which is an armor-plated, squat, and club-tailed ankylosaur, with a fossilized voice box, or larynx. Uncovered in Mongolia in 2005, this marks the first one found among non-avian dinosaurs.
Now, a recent analysis suggests that the vocal range of the creature was more melodious and subtle than thought. This is a striking contrast with the roars, rumbles, hisses, and grunts that these creatures were perceived to have, though these sounds still remain a likely possibility. The study was included in the Communications Biology journal.
According to Phys, previous studies offered limited evidence regarding dinosaur sounds that the creatures attempted to make with throat-based organs. This is because most larynxes consist of cartilage and do not stay preserved well.
During initial analyses of the remains, researchers thought that these fossilized bones in the throat were used for respiratory purposes and not for making dinosaur sounds. However, further examination of two bones revealed that they were actually parts of the creature's larynx. The researchers also examined the surrounding parts that may have supported and facilitated such models. They noted that these muscles may have been used for larynx bone manipulation in order to manage the air that routes through the throat, enabling the creature to make dinosaur sounds.
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Dinosaur Sounds
To learn more about dinosaur sounds, the researchers compared the bones of the voice box with those of several known modern reptiles and birds. They discovered that one larynx part was proportionally larger compared to its modern counterparts. This suggests that the creature had the capacity to make loud sounds.
The researchers also found an elongated part of the larynx, which may have enabled the windpipe muscles to alter the noises that the larynx made. This is similar to how a bird's syrinx's sounds are modified by a mouth organ.
While mammals, amphibians, and crocodiles have a larynx to make sounds, birds have a syrinx. This structure is two-piped and rests close to the bird's lungs, at the windpipe's bottom. It lays the foundation for intricate melodies.
The creature's anatomy suggests that the dinosaur may have been capable of making various sounds, including rumbles, roars, grunts, and probably even chirps. However, considering the creatures' size and vocal mechanisms, it is unlikely that these creatures chirped like the birds of today.
The scientists suggest that if these creatures had the capacity to make similar sounds, they may have done so for similar purposes as well, including defending the area, monitoring their offspring, and attracting mates.
James Napoli, a vertebrate paleontologist from the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences who did not participate in the study, mentioned to Live Science that it is difficult to infer the sound of Pinacosaurus because the voice box is a "completely novel organ" that may have come up with a distinct sound. Napoli mentions that chirby birdsong may have been unlikely, even if there were similarities with the syrinx of birds, because of the huge size of ankylosaurs.
Further research will look into filtering the possibilities of the creature's vocalizations while looking for other specimens that could have a syrinx or larynx.
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