Some samoyeds adjust the pitch of their howls depending on the music being played, showing a form of vocal ability that they may have inherited from their wolf ancestors.
A new study, recently in Current Biology, revealed that some canine divas actually understand pitch and adjust their vocalizations.
The researchers, from Tufts University in Massachusetts (USA), were inspired by descriptions of wolves howling in packs.
“Howls have some similarities to human singingin the sense that they are long, sustained vocalizations,” the study’s corresponding author, Aniruddh Patel, told .
Past observations suggest that each individual lobe tries to strike a different tone. The result is a discordant chorus that can create the illusion of a much larger group, which would help to intimidate potential predators.
However, naturally, this is very difficult to test experimentally, which is why Patel and his colleagues turned to companion animals.
The scientists asked a small number of dog owners to record their dog’s harmonies to the music track they liked best – first in the original key and then in versions that had been transposed three semitones up and three semitones down – to see how they reacted to the change in pitch.
The analyzes focused on two ancient breeds – Samoydos and Shiba Inus – which are thought to be closer to their wolf ancestors than modern varieties.
To increase the statistical reliability of the analysis, each dog had to produce at least 30 howls, lasting at least 1 second eachfor each of the transposed versions – details New Scientist.
Unusual ability for music
All four samoyeds studied showed some sensitivity to the pitch of the musical range, consistently adapting their vocalizations to the new tonalityalthough in no case did they correspond exactly.
“They’re trying to have some relationship to what they’re hearing in their own voice; they’re not simply being triggered to release some instinctive, inflexible response,” Patel praises.
Lunaone of the participants, performed the song “Shallow”by Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper.
The two shiba inus, in contrast, appeared to have no ear for music. “It is possible that there is some genetic variation within ancient breeds, making some more predisposed to howling,” Patel theorizes.
As New Scientist writes, the study’s conclusions may offer some clues to the origins of human music.
Some theorists have argued that singing evolved from the fine motor control that accompanies speech, which allows us to imitate complex sounds. However, the fact that dogs are also able to control sound pitch without any other forms of vocal learning suggests that language would not have been a necessary precursor.
