Finding a Koala-ty Mate: The Importance of Vocal Communication in Koala Reproduction

ZOOL 567, Fall 2021

CC BY

pasukaru76, flickr

Animal Shorts, YouTube

Kang, Esther

How male and female koala vocalizations function in a reproductive context. This video discusses the information content of koala vocalizations and how koalas use this information in terms of mating behaviour.

Charlton, B. D. (2021). Chapter 18 - Marsupial vocal communication: A review of vocal signal production, form, and function. In C. S. Rosenfeld & F. Hoffmann (Eds.), Neuroendocrine Regulation of Animal Vocalization (pp. 297–312). Academic Press. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-815160-0.00002-5

Charlton, B. D., Ellis, W. A. H., McKinnon, A. J., Brumm, J., Nilsson, K., & Fitch, W. T. (2011). Perception of male caller identity in koalas (Phascolarctos cinereus): Acoustic analysis and playback experiments. PLoS ONE, 6(5), e20329. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0020329

Charlton, B. D., Ellis, W. A. H., McKinnon, A. J., Cowin, G. J., Brumm, J., Nilsson, K., & Fitch, W. T. (2011). Cues to body size in the formant spacing of male koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) bellows: Honesty in an exaggerated trait. Journal of Experimental Biology, 214(20), 3414–3422. https://doi.org/10.1242/jeb.061358

Charlton, B. D., Reby, D., Ellis, W. A. H., Brumm, J., & Fitch, W. T. (2012). Estimating the active space of male koala bellows: Propagation of cues to size and identity in a eucalyptus forest. PLoS ONE, 7(9), e45420. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0045420

Charlton, B. D., Whisson, D. A., & Reby, D. (2013). Free-ranging male koalas use size-related variation in formant frequencies to assess rival males. PLoS ONE, 8(7), e70279. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0070279

Charlton, B. D., Ellis, W. A. H., Brumm, J., Nilsson, K., & Fitch, W. T. (2012). Female koalas prefer bellows in which lower formants indicate larger males. Animal Behaviour, 84(6), 1565–1571. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anbehav.2012.09.034

Charlton, B. D. (2015). The acoustic structure and information content of female koala vocal signals. PLoS ONE, 10(10), e0138670. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0138670

Charlton, B. D., Watchorn, D. J., & Whisson, D. A. (2017). Subharmonics increase the auditory impact of female koala rejection calls. Ethology, 123(8), 571–579. https://doi.org/10.1111/eth.12628

Johnston, S. D., & Holt, W. V. (2019). Using the koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) as a case study to illustrate the development of artificial breeding technology in marsupials: An update. In P. Comizzoli, J. L. Brown, & W. V. Holt (Eds.), Reproductive Sciences in Animal Conservation (pp. 327–362). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-23633-5_12

12/01/2021

Reproductive Behaviour & Parental Care/ Social Behaviour

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