If you were handed three photos of a cheetah, an ostrich, and a porcupine, you could tell the difference. But what if you were only given the sounds these animals make?
One of them chirps. Another one squeaks. The third booms (that's the technical term). Do you know what sound belongs to which animal?
Booms and chirps aren't even the craziest sounds you'll hear in this compilation of shocking noises made by some of the world's most recognizable animals. Perhaps the most bizarre is a bird that sounds exactly like an old-school polaroid click camera.
A single animal can produce dozens of different sounds for different purposes. Here, we provide an example of one call from each.
Unlike lions, jaguars, and other wild cats, cheetahs can’t roar. Instead, they chirp. That’s because the thyroid bone in their throat that they use to help generate sound is shaped differently from the same thyroid bone in wild cats that can roar. That’s also why your house cat can’t roar.
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Read more about why cheetahs chirp and lions roar.
Male ostriches are usually silent, but when it comes time to mate, they're very vocal. By filling a sac in their long necks with air, they produce a low-pitched, hollow, booming sound to let the female know they’re ready. Males in captivity will sometimes boom at visitors, too.
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Read more about how ostrich sounds in Ostrich Production Systems.
This is Teddy. He's part of the Texas traveling educational zoo, or Zooniversity. Wild porcupines are solitary creatures who don’t like to share. Teddy, although not wild, is no exception. When wild porcupines squabble over food or den space they sound a lot like Teddy in this video when asked to share his corn. (skip to the 26th second to hear him talk).
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Read more information about Teddy and porcupine behavior on National Geographic.
See the rest of the story at Business Insider