Bats are big belters with better pipes than singer Mariah Carey

Bats are the heavy metal singers of the animal kingdom and have a better vocal range than pop singer Mariah Carey.

According to a new Scandinavian study, published in the journal PLOS Biology*, bats can have a vocal range of up to seven octaves* — double the range of a normal human being.

“Most mammals have a range of three to four (octaves), and humans about three,” said University of Southern Denmark Associate Professor and study lead author Coen Elemans. “Some human singers can reach a range of four to five, but they are only very few.

“Well-known examples are Mariah Carey, Axl Rose and Prince. It turns out bats surpass* this range by using different structures in their larynx*.”

Dr Elemans said that these nocturnal* animals use high-frequency sounds when communicating with each other.

According to the research findings, heavy metal singers use the same technique bats do to create sound.

“We identified for the first time what physical structures within the larynx oscillate* to make their different vocalisations,” Dr Elemans said.

“For example, bats can make low-frequency calls using their so-called ‘false vocal folds’ — like human (heavy) metal singers do.”

Heavy metal often features guttural* vocals and thunderous percussion*. In order to accomplish the gruff-sounding noises associated with the music, humans have to oscillate the vocal cords back and forth.

“This makes the vocal folds heavy, and therefore they vibrate at very low frequencies,” said study co-author Dr Jonas Håkansson.

Bat sounds are also similar to those of throat singers. Throat singing is an ancient tradition practised by the people of Tuva, a small republic in southern Siberia. These throat singers can produce two or more pitches simultaneously.

The study suggests that bats use the lower register when flying in and out of large swarms.

“Some (sounds) seem aggressive, some may be an expression of annoyance and some may have a very different function. We don’t know yet,” said co-author and bat expert Dr Lasse Jakobsen.

Dr Jakobsen added that when a bat is hunting for food, it uses a higher frequency to locate prey. It is thought that humans were once able to hit the higher frequency but lost the ability due to evolution*.

“A bat can determine the shape, size and texture of echoing objects within milliseconds,” Dr Jakobsen said.

“We see many adaptations in the larynx that we think are responsible for the bat’s ability to make very high frequency calls very fast, so they can catch insects while flying,” said Dr Håkansson.

GLOSSARY

biology: scientific study of the natural processes of living things

octaves: distance between two musical notes that are eight notes apart

surpass: to do or be better or more than something else

larynx: area in throat with vocal cords, used for breathing, swallowing, talking and singing

nocturnal: being active or happening at night rather than during the day

oscillate: move or swing repeatedly from side to side or up and down between two points

guttural: deep, throaty, husky, croaky

percussion: musical instruments played by hitting them with a hand or an object like a stick

evolution: process of gradual change that takes place over many generations, during which species of animals, plants, or insects slowly change

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QUICK QUIZ

Bats have a vocal range up to how many octaves?

What is the rare vocal range that can only be reached by very few humans?

Which three pop singers named in the article can sing across this exceptional range?

Where do throat singers come from?

When do bats use a lower register?

LISTEN TO THIS STORY

CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES

1. Nonfiction noises

Imagine you are the author and designer of a children’s nonfiction book about amazing animals – today you are creating a page titled “Bat Noises”. Use what you have learnt from this news story to help you write and design a page that will engage your audience. Think carefully about what features to include.

Time: allow 45 minutes to complete this activity

Curriculum Links: English; Science; The Arts

2. Extension

Write a brief explanation or draw a diagram to show how vocal cords work.

Time: allow 15 minutes to complete this activity

Curriculum Links: English; Science

VCOP ACTIVITY

Vocabulary recycle

There is some vivid vocabulary being used in the article, and I am not just talking about the glossary words. Go through the article and highlight the high-level language that you are impressed by in yellow.

See if you can borrow two of these wow words to reuse in your own way.

Remember vocabulary is a great way to connect with the audience, but you need to think about who your audience is so you make great word choices.

Who will the audience be in your recycled sentences?