Grasshoppers can scream like humans

Grasshoppers in North America have the ability to scream loudly. Scientists call this the "wolf howl in miniature", and recently found that the ligaments in rodents work in the same way as in humans. Such a finding will allow not only a better understanding of the mechanisms of evolution, but also to investigate the injuries of the vocal cords.

Two communication modes

Grasshopper hamsters use the ultrasound method traditional for rodents to communicate with relatives, as well as the unique vibration of tissues caused by the air flow, simply speaking, an ordinary scream similar to the screams of people. Scientists have studied this phenomenon through experiments with helium, morphological studies of the larynx and vocal tract, as well as biomechanical modeling.

The results suggest that rodents reproduce sounds in the same way as humans, which provides the basis for studies of injuries and aging of the vocal cords. It will also become the basis for a broader analysis of cases where different types of rodents use the “full voice”. Although rodents make up more than 40% of the diversity of mammals, many voices are still unexplored.

Little Opera Singers

Grasshoppers are predatory rodents from the genus Onychomys, which live in deserts, meadows and prairies of the western United States and northern Mexico. They eat small invertebrates, including insects. They can attack and eat scorpions, as well as devour small rodents and lizards. Like most rodents, to communicate with brethren, this species produces ultrasonic vocalizations that are not audible to the human ear.

However, grasshoppers also use a squeak that is heard by a person. From time to time, males and females take a vertical position and make a loud sound that lasts 1-2 seconds and is heard at a distance of more than 100 meters. Grasshopper hamsters usually live alone and have rather large "personal territories", which is why they call on partners and warn competitors.

Parsing the mechanism of this cry, scientists discovered a thin layer of connective tissue and a tiny structure called the vocal membrane, which was previously described in detail in bats. Rodents also have a bell-shaped vocal tract, similar in shape to a loudspeaker. It works like a resonator to amplify sound - on the same principle that opera singers use.