For decades, scientists believed that acoustic communication evolved separately in different groups of vertebrates. Variations in hearing structures and vocal tract morphology supported this idea, suggesting that sound-based communication arose multiple times.
However, new research challenges this view, revealing that the ability to produce and interpret sounds likely traces back to a common ancestor over 400 million years ago.
From the croaks of frogs to the songs of birds and the barking of dogs, sound plays a key role in vertebrate communication. It serves vital functions, including attracting mates, warning of danger, and caring for offspring.
While some animals are well known for their vocal abilities, others—such as turtles, lungfishes, and salamanders—were long assumed to be silent. However, a recent study led by the University of Zurich (UZH) found that these supposedly mute species actually produce a range of vocalizations.
Researchers compiled vocal recordings and behavioral data from 53 species across four major vertebrate groups: turtles, tuataras, caecilians, and lungfishes.
They combined this with an extensive database covering 1,800 species, including well-known vocal clades like mammals, birds, and frogs. The findings show that many creatures previously considered non-vocal have diverse and complex sound repertoires.
“Many turtles, for example, which were thought to be mute, are in fact showing broad and complex acoustic repertoires,” says Gabriel Jorgewich-Cohen, a PhD student at the Paleontological Institute and Museum of UZH.
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To determine when acoustic communication first evolved, scientists used phylogenetic trait reconstruction, a method that maps traits onto an evolutionary tree. By integrating data from a wide range of species, they traced the origins of vocal communication to a common ancestor of land-dwelling vertebrates and their lungfish relatives. This ancestor likely lived around 407 million years ago, long before the emergence of birds, mammals, or even amphibians.
“We were able to reconstruct acoustic communication as a shared trait among these animals, which is at least as old as their last common ancestor,” explains Marcelo Sánchez, who led the study.
This finding contradicts previous theories that vocal communication arose multiple times in different lineages. Instead, it suggests that the neural and anatomical structures necessary for sound production were already present in early vertebrates. Over time, these structures evolved in various ways, leading to the wide range of vocal abilities seen today.
Past studies relied on the absence of evidence to classify certain animals as non-vocal. If a species had not been observed making sounds, it was assumed to be silent. However, the UZH research highlights how limited data can lead to incorrect conclusions. Many species simply had not been studied closely enough to detect their vocalizations.
This new understanding of acoustic communication has broad implications. It suggests that the ability to produce sound was an ancient adaptation, rather than a feature that evolved independently in different groups.
The study also emphasizes the need for more research into underrepresented species. By exploring vocal behaviors in neglected groups, scientists can gain a clearer picture of how communication evolved in vertebrates.
“Our results now show that acoustic communication did not evolve multiple times in diverse clades, but has a common and ancient evolutionary origin,” concludes Sánchez.
By uncovering the deep evolutionary roots of vocalization, this research reshapes our understanding of how vertebrates communicate. It also challenges long-standing assumptions about which animals have the ability to produce and interpret sounds.
What was once thought to be a scattered and independent trait now appears to be a fundamental feature shared by a vast range of species, dating back hundreds of millions of years.
The research finds are available in the journal Nature Communications.
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