Hippos are capable of making sounds in air and in underwater. In an amphibious position (eyes and nostrils above water but mouth and throat below), they are able to send communication signals onto air and underwater at the same time.
The transmission of sounds passes through different paths. For sounds passing on air, the position above water passes through nasopharynx, continuing through the nostrils to air. Underwater sounds are made from other parts of the pneumatic system that produce sounds, but mainly by other ways such as from the larynx through the prominent roll of fat and skin in the throat. The acoustic structure of the underwater and surface sound is different. The underwater has higher frequency compared to the surface frequency.
Hippos need to be able to communicate under and above water in an amphibious position. Studies have shown that they have a working technique of transmitting amphibious sounds. However, the study of hippos hearing anatomy is still in process and is not fully understood.
For more details on this article, please visit the link below:
http://www.sciencedirect.com.silk.library.umass.edu:2048/science
Posted by Fatema Farhana (week 1)
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Hippos seem like the ultimate in-between of a cow and a whale - pretty cool that they are able to communicate different ways in both the water and on land.
ReplyDeleteHow did researchers go about quantifying the the hippo's different frequency patterns? Did they use some sort of recording equipment program? Also, is there a specific signal that a hippo would only send in the water versus one it would only send through air?
Posted by Bethany Rappleyea
It would be interesting to set up a scenario where the hippos would display some predicted response and do the same for the paradox aka in the water as appose to on land and see how different the same message is when being transmitted through a different medium. not just pitch but if there are more sylables or a different pattern structure although it would be very difficult to ensure that these are comparable messages trying to be sent...
ReplyDeletePosted by Jeremy Ross
Hippos are unique animals, and as you've highlighted, also have a unique way of communicating!
ReplyDeleteWhen you said that hippos "need to be able to communicate under and above water", that must imply that there is some benefit to the hippo through communicating in this manner. Is this just the benefit of the hippo's comfort position? Or is there a benefit to communicating doubly to hippos underwater and above water?
Also, do their calls attract more specie because they can communicate in two different environments (water and air)? Does this make them more or less successful communicators when it comes to predators?
Great post!
Posted by Ashley Paon
This is similar to other animals, such as amphibians. Some animals use water vibration to communicate with others. I was wondering if you knew what the benefits to communicating above and below water is? I understand that being able to communicate in different ways enables us to communicate to a broader audience. For example, being able to speak more than one language gives us the opportunity to communicate with more people. But i doubt that hippos who communicate underwater are able to do so with fishes.
ReplyDeletePosted by Vanessa Raphaël
This is really neat! This kind of reminds me of the way dolphins can communicate under and above water. In what ways do they need to communicate under and above water? Are all of the signals sounds that are audible? How are they measured?
ReplyDeletePretty cool post!
Posted by Alyson Paige
Very interesting post. The one thing that caught my attention was that the calls have consistently higher frequencies underwater. Why would it be more beneficial to the hippo to give off higher frequency sounds underwater?
ReplyDeleteAlso, do you know if hippos have a very basic set of signals (auditory and visual)? Or do the studies seem to show that they have a wider variety of signals?
-Jillian O'Keefe