VOCAL COMMUNICATION

distress call: This is emitted by the infant (Glatston, 1979). The infant will emit this it is out of contact with the mother and away from the nest (Glatston, 1979). Sick infants will produce this call (Glatston, 1979).This call is high in pitch and piercing, which rises in frequency from 12 to 15 Hz, and are given at a rate of 300 per minute (Glatston, 1979).

purr: This call is given by the infant and sounds like a feline purr (Glatston, 1979). In a 1 to 2 day old infant this call consists of isolated clicks which are a burst of noise that ranges in frequency from 0 to 16 Hz (Glatston, 1979). As the infant ages the clicks increase to irregular bursts at a rate of 900 per minute (Glatston, 1979). This call is also found in adults where it is heard during bouts of allogrooming (Glatston, 1979).

elimination call: This is a soft bird-like call given by infants when they urinate or defaecates (Glatston, 1979). This call has a frequency between 0 and 10 Hz, and as the infant develops the call changes in frqeuncy to be centered between 0 and 2 Hz and between 18 and 24 Hz (Glatston, 1979). A trill is also heard o be incorporated into this call (Glatston, 1979).

grunt: This call is heard in captivity by infants when they seek the feeding pipette (Glatston, 1979). This call occurs in a series and clicks may be given in association with this call (Glatston, 1979). This call has a frequency which ranges between 8 and 18 Hz (Glatston, 1979).

disturbance call: This call is made up of a rapid series of short whistles, which lasts 0.04 seconds, at a rate of 400-600 calls per minute, and has a frequency ranging between 14 and 16 Hz (Glatston, 1979). This call is cryptic in nature so as not to reveal the location of the caller (Glatston, 1979). The individual emitting this call is motionless when calling and barely opens the mouth (Glatston, 1979). This call is often heard by more than one individual in succession, thus masking this call even more from revealing the location of the callers (Glatston, 1979). This call is given in response to a visual disturbance (Glatston, 1979). This call is emitted by adults (Glatston, 1979). This call is also known as the alarm call (Petter and Charles-Dominique, 1979).

scream: This call is a series of screams given in response to sudden loud noises or a close promixity of a dominant conspecific (Glatston, 1979). This call is emitted by adults (Glatston, 1979).

whitter: This call is soft in nature and is emitted during the greeting of two familiar adults and by mothers to the infant (Glatston, 1979).

clear whistle: This call has a frequency of 7 Hz, a duration of 0.25 seconds, and is given at a rate of 60-80 calls per minute (Glatston, 1979). Subordinate adults emit this call and it may function to inhibit aggression (Glatston, 1979).

long whistle: This call has an increasing frequency that lies between 15 to 20 Hz, a duration of between 0.64 and 0.92 seconds, and is given at a rate of 15 calls per minute (Glatston, 1979). This call is emitted during introduction experiments in captivity and may communicate a high level of disturbance (Glatston, 1979).

intermediate whistle: This call has a duration of 0.3 to 0.5 seconds and are given at a rate of 38 calls per minute (Glatston, 1979). The frequency of this call as the intensity of calling increases. During low intensities this call has a frequency between 16 and 18 Hz, and at high intensities this call has a frequency between 18 and 19 Hz (Glatston, 1979). This call is given by adults a few hours within dusk at its highest frequency and may function as a spacing call (Glatston, 1979). This call is also known as the distant communication call (Petter and Charles-Dominique, 1979).

trill: There are two forms to this call, a powerful form and a soft form (Glatston, 1979). The powerful form is emitted by the breeding male, with it given more frequently during the breeding season (Glatston, 1979). Its highest rate of occurence happens when there is a female in estrus in the area and prior to and during mating (Glatston, 1979). This form is also known as the mating call (Petter and Charles-Dominique, 1979). The soft form is emitted by subordinate males and by mothers when they approach their infants (Glatston, 1979). This call has a frequency modulating between 7 and 18 Hz and has a duration of 0.6 seconds (Glatston, 1979). The soft form is also known as the adult contact call (Petter and Charles-Dominique, 1979). This call has an abrupt beginning and ending (Glatston, 1979). This call may serve to suppress testis development in subordinate males (Glatston, 1979). It was found that call differed between two different demes of gray mouse lemurs suggesting that possibly the gray mouse lemur develops dialects in their vocal communication (Hafen et al., 1998).

gathering call: This call has a frequency ranging between 4 and 30 Hz, with harmonics between 16 and 20 Hz and between 20 and 22 Hz (Glatston, 1979). This call has a duration of 0.4 seconds and is given by adults (Glatston, 1979). This call is given around dawn (Glatston, 1979).

threat call: This call starts out as a hoarse growl which develops into a series of sharp barks that have a frequency which increases from 5 Hz to 13 Hz then decreases again (Glatston, 1979). During this an individual will adopt horned ears position of the ears (Glatston, 1979). This call is also known as the contact rejection call (Petter and Charles-Dominique, 1979).

[Gray Mouse Lemur] [Morphology] [Range] [Ecology] [Locomotion] [Social Behavior] [Vocal Communication] [Olfactory Communication] [Visual Communication] [Tactile Communication [Reproduction] [References]

Last Updated: October 9, 2003.
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