Pushing air through them at a very slow rate creates the inaudible infrasound. Then came a research paper by specialists from the University of Vienna. Not only did they listen to hours of virtual silence, they analysed the frequency of giraffe sound waves. These researchers concluded that the giraffe they studied make a humming sound at night. This is not actually an infrasound, but on the very edge of what a human can hear.
I listened to some of the recordings and they sounded familiar. These ultra low grunts are a little like sonorous, low-pitched snoring. In other words, just like my own snoring I recorded on the SnoreLab app! Why these giraffe sounds? And why only at night? Giraffe have terrible eyesight so the researchers suggested that maybe they are a means of communicating location in the dark. The conclusion of the study was that further investigation is required.
So even the world specialists in giraffe sounds are not definitive about the sound a giraffe makes. I personally prefer another explanation. Giraffe could communicate, but they just choose not to. Some animals like to show off. Leopards roar and elephants make extravagant sounds to ward off rivals. Small animals communicate threats and even a rhino mother has a specific sound to warn her offspring.
They are beautiful creatures, perhaps the most elegant of all the animals out on the savannah. So maybe giraffe prefer tranquility over noise? Perhaps giraffe simply have no need to make any sound or interrupt the beautiful serenity of the wild. Initially these safaris were all about adventure. By now I think of safaris from the giraffe perspective. An African safari is not only an adventure. It is also a wonderful escape from the world, a chance to enjoy silence and tranquility , when most of our everyday lives are dominated by noise.
For me, safari is no longer an adventure. Facebook Twitter Email. Scientists finally know what sound a giraffe makes.
Arden Dier Newser staff. A baby giraffe, although still on the quiet side, is noisier than an adult. It will bleat, mew, and moo. Like babies of other species, the baby giraffe is letting mom know that it is scared or hungry, or has another need. Bleating and mooing stop once a calf is around a year old. Giraffe humming was unheard of until BMC published a research paper in Their research took place over 8 years, in 3 European zoos, recording hours of audio material in giraffe enclosures.
What they discovered was fascinating. When separated into different stalls, the giraffes made harmonic, sustained, and frequency-modulated humming sounds.
What do these sounds mean? We know that giraffes are great visual communicators. So these vocalizations must be a way of communicating when the giraffes are out of visual range either because of darkness, or because of being separated. Perhaps further research using night-vision will shed more light on whether the hums convey any information about the gender, age, or dominance of the individual member.
Keep reading: 9 Facts About Giraffe Tongues. Firstly, what is infrasound? That is how they can get around acacia thorns to eat the tender leaves. I cannot thank you enough for answering my question!
My daughter asked me when she was three what sound a giraffe made and I could not find out! She's now nearly eleven! Marine Biology. Electrical Engineering. Computer Science. Medical Science. Writing Tutorials. Performing Arts. Visual Arts. Student Life. Vocational Training. Standardized Tests. Online Learning. Social Sciences.
Legal Studies. Political Science. Welcome to Owlcation. GA Anderson is a freelance writer for private and commercial publishing platforms. Related Articles. By Linda Crampton.
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