The thunderous roar of the MGM lion that has opened Hollywood films for nearly a century has conditioned us to hear the big cat’s call as a blunt declaration: a booming blast announcing power and presence.
But the real soundscape of a lion pride is far more intricate than that cinematic caricature, researchers report November 20 in the journal Ecology and Evolution.
Using field recordings from Africa and machine learning techniques to analyze the acoustics, scientists found that African lions (Panthera leo) produce two distinct types of roars: the familiar, guttural one that anchors a roaring bout — and carries vocal signatures unique to each animal — plus an