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| A screen grab of a mice performing a mating song |
Staff correspondent, September 12, 2015
An University of Delaware researcher has developed sophisticated microphones to show that mice break into complex mating songs when they want to have sex.
It was known that male mice initiated these songs to attract females. But neuroscientist Joshua Neunuebel has now found that female mice respond in kind, sing back to perform a duet.
Unfortunately, these melodies register in a pitch far beyond the reach of human ears.
An University of Delaware researcher has developed sophisticated microphones to show that mice break into complex mating songs when they want to have sex.
It was known that male mice initiated these songs to attract females. But neuroscientist Joshua Neunuebel has now found that female mice respond in kind, sing back to perform a duet.
Unfortunately, these melodies register in a pitch far beyond the reach of human ears.
The highest range the human ear can detect is about 20 kilohertz. The high-pitched voice of a mouse registers at about 35 to 125 kilohertz.
It takes special microphones to pick that up, which have been developed by Neunuebel and his collaborators to collect all sorts of mouse sounds and related data.
The video report below shows mice breaking into songs. But the video is a little dated, so it does not capture the sound, but you can watch them crooning nevertheless.