An article about walrus (Odobenus Rosmarus) by Natalie Angier appears
on the NY Times website.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/20/science/20walrus.html
The walrus's talent for vocalizing is described:
"Walruses sing with their fleshy and muscular lips, tongues, muzzles
and noses. They sing by striking their flippers against their chests
to hit their pharyngeal pouches, balloon-like extensions of the
trachea that are unique to Odobenus and that also serve as flotation
devices.
In full breeding tilt, the bulls sound like a circus, a construction
site, a Road Runner cartoon. They whistle, beep, rasp, strum, bark and
knock. They make bell tones, jackhammer drills, train-track clatters
and the rubber-band boing! of Wile E. Coyote getting bonked on the head.
They mix and match their boings, bells and knocks, they speed up and
slow down, they vocalize underwater, in the air, at the bubbly border
between. They sing nonstop for days at a time, and their songs can be
heard up to 10 miles away."
Interesting article. Does anyone know of walrus vocalizations
available online?
--oryoki
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