In the tropical forests of Panama and Costa Rica, unusual rodents live - Alston's mice. True, some biologists believe that Scotinomys teguina are closer in relationship to hamsters than to mice. However, this is not their uniqueness, but the fact that these little animals can - sing.
True, only males sing, creating hundreds of vocal "phrases", the combination of which allows these gentlemen to attract females, warn rivals, protect their territory, and so on. Surprisingly, males in the mating season or in case of some disagreement (over the same territory) sing alternately, without interrupting each other, like the most educated gentlemen.
Researchers at New York University have determined that a special zone is in charge of vocal in the brains of Alston's mice, similar to the one that in humans is responsible for speech and the same vocal abilities. For example, have you ever wondered why you construct phrases so easily, even the most complex ones, without thinking about it at all, where do the melodies come from in your head and so on? And the whole point is precisely in the motor region of the brain, in violation of which a person loses the ability to speak, for example, with autism, stroke, head injuries.
Meanwhile, Alston males continue to sing their musical arias in the forests of Panama and Costa Rica, not even suspecting that their singing is important not only for communication in their community, but also for humans. However, we suggest that you listen to a small fragment of such a vocal and evaluate it yourself (watch the video).
In conclusion, we add: American researchers at Duke University found that almost all mice sing. True, their singing occurs in a range that a person cannot hear. It turns out that only Scotinomys teguina can sing so that even people can hear them. I wonder why they were given such a talent, or maybe such a punishment?..
Victoria Prime
