During excavations in Antarctica, researchers were able to find out what the singing of the first birds and dinosaurs was like. This is stated in an article published in the journal Nature.
Franz Goller from the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, along with colleagues, discovered the remains of a direct relative of modern birds - Vegavis iaai - who lived during the Mesozoic era in the Arctic Circle. The remains are perfectly preserved, which allowed scientists to examine not only bones and feathers, but also imprints of soft tissues. With the help of a tomograph, Goller was able to study the structure of the syrinx, the vocal organ of birds, which is located at the base of the trachea.
Comparison of this organ of an ancient bird with modern ones made it possible to establish that it practically repeats the structure of the syrinx of geese, ducks and other birds without singing skills. Based on this, Goller claims that Vegavis iaai could at least quack and hum.
At the same time, dinosaurs, which were the closest contemporaries of birds, do not have such an organ. Accordingly, they could only make guttural sounds without opening their mouths. The authors of the article conclude that the ability to produce complex sounds, such as trills, could be one of the key factors in the development of birds and an evolutionary advantage over other species of archosaurs.
In July 2016, scientists learned that dinosaurs did not roar with their mouths open, but cooed and cooed with their mouths closed, like modern birds. Many dinosaurs also inflated their necks and made chirping noises to attract females and scare off competitors. The closest analogue among modern birds can be ostriches.
