@article {58440, title = {Bioacoustics features as a tool for early diagnosis of pneumonia in riverine buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) calves}, journal = {Buffalo Bulletin}, volume = {40}, year = {202}, month = {09/2021}, pages = {399-407}, chapter = {399}, abstract = {

The present study was conducted to identify specific acoustic features which could be used as possible indicators for early diagnosis of pneumonia in buffalo calves. In pneumonia, change in elasticity and resonance of vocal sound producing organs occur which eventually affects the vocal signature of calves. Twenty Murrah buffalo calves\’ voice was recorded during both healthy and pneumonia infected stage where pneumonia was confirmed by lung X-RAY radiography. From the recorded vocal sound, acoustic features viz. call duration (sec.), call interval (sec.), frequency (Hz), bandwidth (Hz) and peak amplitude (P) with their sub variants were extracted with the help of PRAAT 3.2.36 software. Out of these, call duration (sec.) (0.879\± 0.29 v/s 0.689\± 0.24), call interval (sec.) (0.288\±0.059 v/s 0.107\±0.047) and peak amplitude (P) (start (0.750 \± 0.118 v/s 0.435 \± 0.113), end (0.102 \± 0.045 v/s 0.508 \± 0.268) and maximum (0.938 \± 0.210 v/s 0.684 \± 0.480)) were found significantly (p\<0.05) different between two groups. Rest acoustic features did not differ statistically between two groups. This study indicates that it is possible to discriminate pneumonia voice from normal/healthy voice by acoustic analysis and farmers can acquire an early warning of pneumonia infections in calves through this non-invasive method.

}, url = {https://www.kuojs.lib.ku.ac.th/index.php/BufBu/article/view/2509}, author = {Indu Devi and Kuldeep Dudi and Yajuvendra Singh and Surender Singh Lathwal} } @article {57959, title = {Vocal individuality of Holstein-Friesian cattle is maintained across putatively positive and negative farming contexts}, year = {2019}, abstract = {

Cattle mother-offspring contact calls encode individual-identity information; however, it is unknown whether cattle are able to maintain individuality when vocalising to familiar conspecifics over other positively and negatively valenced farming contexts. Accordingly, we recorded 333 high-frequency vocalisations from 13 Holstein-Friesian heifers during oestrus and anticipation of feed (putatively positive), as well as denied feed access and upon both physical and physical \& visual isolation from conspecifics (putatively negative). We measured 21 source-related and nonlinear vocal parameters\ and stepwise discriminant function analyses (DFA) were performed. Calls were divided into positive\ (n = 170) and negative valence (n = 163) with each valence acting as a \‘training set\’ to classify calls in the oppositely valenced \‘test set\’. Furthermore, MANOVAs were conducted to determine which vocal parameters were implicated in individual distinctiveness. Within the putatively positive \‘training set\’, the cross-validated DFA correctly classified 68.2\% of the putatively positive calls and 52.1\% of the putatively negative calls to the correct individual, respectively. Within the putatively negative \‘training set\’, the cross-validated DFA correctly assigned 60.1\% of putatively negative calls and 49.4\% of putatively positive calls to the correct individual, respectively. All DFAs exceeded chance expectations indicating that vocal individuality of high-frequency calls is maintained across putatively positive\ and negative valence, with all vocal parameters except subharmonics responsible for this individual distinctiveness. This study shows that cattle vocal individuality of high-frequency calls is stable across different emotionally loaded farming contexts. Individual distinctiveness is likely to attract social support from conspecifics, and knowledge of these individuality cues could assist farmers in detecting individual cattle for welfare or production purposes.

}, doi = {10.1038/s41598-019-54968-4}, url = {http://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-019-54968-4}, author = {Green, Alexandra and Clark, Cameron and Favaro, Livio and Lomax, Sabrina and Reby, David} } @article {57935, title = {Savannah roars: The vocal anatomy and the impressive rutting calls of male impala (Aepyceros melampus) {\textendash} highlighting the acoustic correlates of a mobile larynx}, year = {2019}, abstract = {

A retractable larynx and adaptations of the vocal folds in the males of several polygynous ruminants serve for the production of rutting calls that acoustically announce larger than actual body size to both rival males and potential female mates. Here, such features of the vocal tract and of the sound source are documented in another species. We investigated the vocal anatomy and laryngeal mobility including its acoustical effects during the rutting vocal display of free-ranging male impala (Aepyceros melampus melampus) in Namibia. Male impala produced bouts of rutting calls (consisting of oral roars and interspersed explosive nasal snorts) in a low-stretch posture while guarding a rutting territory or harem. For the duration of the roars, male impala retracted the larynx from its high resting position to a low mid-neck position involving an extensible pharynx and a resilient connection between the hyoid apparatus and the larynx. Maximal larynx retraction was 108 mm based on estimates in video single frames. This was in good concordance with 91-mm vocal tract elongation calculated on the basis of differences in formant dispersion between roar portions produced with the larynx still ascended and those produced with maximally retracted larynx. Judged by their morphological traits, the larynx-retracting muscles of male impala are homologous to those of other larynx-retracting ruminants. In contrast, the large and massive vocal keels are evolutionary novelties arising by fusion and linear arrangement of the arytenoid cartilage and the canonical vocal fold. These bulky and histologically complex vocal keels produced a low fundamental frequency of 50 Hz. Impala is another ruminant species in which the males are capable of larynx retraction. In addition, male impala vocal folds are spectacularly specialized compared with domestic bovids, allowing the production of impressive, low-frequency roaring vocalizations as a significant part of their rutting behaviour. Our study expands knowledge on the evolutionary variation of vocal fold morphology in mammals, suggesting that the structure of the mammalian sound source is not always human-like and should be considered in acoustic analysis and modelling.

}, keywords = {Bovidae, Felidae, formants, fundamental frequency, larynx retraction, mammal, polygyny, roaring, ruminant, sexual selection, vocal fold, vocal posture, vocal tract}, doi = {10.1111/joa.13114}, url = {https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/joa.13114}, author = {Frey, Roland and Volodin, Ilya A. and Volodina, Elena V. and Efremova, Kseniya O. and Menges, Vera and Portas, Ruben and Melzheimer, J{\"o}rg and Fritsch, Guido and Gerlach, Christina and D{\"o}rnberg, Katja} } @article {53372, title = {Temporal structuring of vigilance behaviour by female Thomson{\textquoteright}s gazelles with hidden fawns}, journal = {Animal Behaviour}, volume = {145}, year = {2018}, month = {Jan-11-2018}, pages = {87 - 97}, abstract = {

Prey animals often face a trade-off between investing time in antipredator behaviour and performing self-maintenance activities, such as foraging. Parents face particularly high stakes as they must protect highly vulnerable offspring while also meeting elevated energetic demands. To optimize this trade-off, the risk allocation hypothesis predicts that prey should adjust their antipredator behaviour to reflect temporal fluctuations in risk. That is, they should invest more in antipredator behaviour when risk is high and prioritize other activities when risk is low. Here we investigate whether changes in risk level resulting from periodic fawn exposure drive maternal vigilance patterns in Thomson\&$\#$39;s gazelle, Eudorcas thomsonii. We find that maternal vigilance patterns match the predictions of the risk allocation hypothesis. Mothers are highly vigilant prior to fawn retrieval, when risk of fawn detection by predators is high. They exhibit low levels of vigilance after fawns resume hiding, when certainty of predator absence is high and, therefore, risk is low. We suggest that fawn active periods may function secondarily as a form of predator sampling and that mothers may adjust their vigilance levels in response to information yielded by this sampling.

}, keywords = {antipredator behaviour, gazelle, hiding, maternal behaviour, predation risk, risk allocation hypothesis, Thomson{\textquoteright}s gazelle, ungulate, vigilance}, issn = {00033472}, doi = {10.1016/j.anbehav.2018.09.007}, url = {https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S000334721830277Xhttps://api.elsevier.com/content/article/PII:S000334721830277X?httpAccept=text/xmlhttps://api.elsevier.com/content/article/PII:S000334721830277X?httpAccept=text/plain}, author = {Costelloe, Blair R. and Rubenstein, Daniel I.} } @article {50505, title = {Individuality of distress and discomfort calls in neonates with bass voices: Wild-living goitred gazelles ( Gazella subgutturosa) and saiga antelopes ( Saiga tatarica)}, journal = {Ethology}, volume = {123}, year = {2017}, month = {Jan-05-2017}, pages = {386 - 396}, abstract = {

Neonate ruminants produce distress calls when captured by a predator and discomfort milk begging calls when hungry. In many neonate ruminants, the distress and discomfort calls are high-frequency vocalizations, in which the fundamental frequency is the key variable for recognition of their emotional arousal by caregivers. In contrast, in this study, we examine the low-frequency open-mouth distress and discomfort calls in the neonates of two species of wild-living ungulates, which clearly highlight vocal tract resonances (formants). In the goitred gazelle (Gazella subgutturosa), the distress calls were higher in fundamental frequency (f0) and in the first and third formants than the discomfort calls. The accuracy of classifying individuals by variables of distress calls with discriminant function analysis (67\%) was significantly lower than that of discomfort calls (85\%). In the saiga (Saiga tatarica), only the third formant was higher in the distress calls than in the discomfort calls. The accuracy of classifying individuals by variables of distress calls (89\%) did not differ significantly from that of discomfort calls (94\%). Thus, the use of acoustic cues to vocal identity and to the degree of arousal differs between the two species. Calls were significantly more individualistic in the saiga, probably because this species lives in large herds and neonates use a \‘following\’ antipredatory strategy, in which vocal individuality is crucial for mother\–offspring communication. In contrast, goitred gazelles live in smaller groups and neonates use a \‘hiding\’ antipredatory strategy. Accordingly, mothers can rely on additional environmental cues for spotting their young and this may decrease the necessity for individualization of the calls of neonates.

}, keywords = {acoustic behavior, antipredatory strategy, emotional arousal, mother-offspring communication, ruminants, vocal identity}, doi = {10.1111/eth.2017.123.issue-510.1111/eth.12607}, url = {http://doi.wiley.com/10.1111/eth.2017.123.issue-5}, author = {Volodin, Ilya A. and Sibiryakova, Olga V. and Frey, Roland and Efremova, Kseniya O. and Soldatova, Natalia V. and Zuther, Steffen and Kisebaev, Talgat B. and Salemgareev, Albert R. and Volodina, Elena V.} } @article {17270, title = {Remarkable vocal identity in wild-living mother and neonate saiga antelopes: a specialization for breeding in huge aggregations?}, journal = {The Science of Nature}, volume = {104}, year = {2017}, month = {Jan-04-2017}, abstract = {

Saiga antelopes Saiga tatarica tatarica give birth in large aggregations, and offspring follow the herd soon after birth. Herding is advantageous as anti-predator strategy; however, communication between mothers and neonates is strongly complicated in large aggregations. Individual series of nasal and oral contact calls of mother and neonate saiga antelopes were selected from recordings made with automated recording systems placed near the hiding neonates on the saiga breeding grounds in Northern Kazakhstan during synchronized parturitions of 30,000 calving females. We used for comparison of the acoustic structure of nasal and oral contact calls 168 nasal calls of 18 mothers, 192 oral calls of 21 mothers, 78 nasal calls of 16 neonates, and 197 oral calls of 22 neonates. In the oral calls of either mothers or neonates, formant frequencies were higher and the duration was longer than in the nasal calls, whereas fundamental frequencies did not differ between oral and nasal calls. Discriminant function analysis (DFA) based on six acoustic variables, accurately classified individual identity for 99.4\% of oral calls of 18 mothers, for 89.3\% of nasal calls of 18 mothers, and for 94.4\% of oral calls of 18 neonates. The average value of correct classification to individual was higher in mother oral than in mother nasal calls and in mother oral calls than in neonate oral calls; no significant difference was observed between mother nasal and neonate oral calls. Variables mainly responsible for vocal identity were the fundamental frequency and the second and third formants in either mothers or neonates, and in either nasal or oral calls. The high vocal identity of mothers and neonates suggests a powerful potential for the mutual mother-offspring recognition in dense aggregations of saiga antelopes as an important component of their survival strategy.

}, keywords = {maternal care in herds, mother-offspring communication, offspring survival, vocal identity}, issn = {0028-1042}, doi = {10.1007/s00114-017-1433-0}, url = {http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s00114-017-1433-0}, author = {Sibiryakova, Olga V. and Volodin, Ilya A. and Frey, Roland and Zuther, Steffen and Kisebaev, Talgat B. and Salemgareev, Albert R. and Volodina, Elena V.} }