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Communication Dans Un Congrès Année : 2020

Computational modelling of penguins’ vocal tract

Résumé

Penguin calls are produced by vibrating membranes in the syrinx, which generate a harmonic sound source. The tracheal tube, larynx, and oro-pharyngeal cavity subsequently filter the source signal and generate acoustic resonances called “formants”. The application of the source-filter theory of vocal production to penguin calls has demonstrated that fundamental frequency and formants encode acoustic cues to species, individual identity, and body size of the emitter. In this study, we investigated the anatomical basis of formants production in the vocal apparatus of the African penguin (Spheniscus demersus). We subjected the supra-syringeal vocal tract of 20 adult specimens to Computed Tomography. We calculated the cross- sectional areas of the vocal tract of each individual every five millimetres from the syrinx to the beak opening. The cross-sectional area functions were then used to model the acoustic response of the vocal tracts using the VTAR (Vocal Tract Acoustic Response) toolbox in MATLAB. The average values predicted for the first four formants were then compared to the spectrographic output of vocalizations recorded from live penguins. The results support our prediction that formant spacing is mostly affected by variations in tracheal length, and that, during phonation, African penguins shorten the vocal tract to an average length of 23-24 cm by contraction of the tracheal pipe. Our methodology, combining anatomical and modelling approaches to link the anatomy of the vocal apparatus with the spectral features of vocalizations, paves the way for further studies of vocal communication in non-passerine birds.
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Dates et versions

hal-03230814 , version 1 (26-05-2021)

Identifiants

Citer

Livio Favaro, Marco Gamba, Katrin Ludynia, Albert Snyman, Lorien Pichegru, et al.. Computational modelling of penguins’ vocal tract. Forum Acusticum, Dec 2020, Lyon, France. pp.2037-2037, ⟨10.48465/fa.2020.0984⟩. ⟨hal-03230814⟩
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