A recent study led by researchers from the University of Warwick reveals the rhythmic singing behaviour of Madagascan lemurs, shedding light on their communication methods and evolutionary history. The findings suggest a unique musical ability in these ‘singing lemurs’ that parallels characteristics found in human music.
Researchers from the University of Warwick have discovered that Madagascan lemurs produce rhythmic “honks” similar to a car horn to signal danger. Known as indris, these “singing lemurs” showcase a natural ability to sing on beat, a rare trait shared only with songbirds, gibbons, and humans.
The study, published in the Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, involved recording songs and calls from 51 lemurs across five rainforest patches in Madagascar. The findings suggest that the ability to perceive and produce rhythm dates back further in evolutionary history than previously believed.
Dr. Chiara De Gregorio from Warwick’s Department of Psychology highlighted that this rhythmic ability is deeply embedded in human evolution and may have initially served communication purposes. Dr. Daria Valente from the University of Turin added that these “foundational elements of human music trace back to early primate communication systems.”
The research revealed that lemurs sing to communicate or locate family groups and use specific alarms—honks for land predators and “roars” for predatory birds. Most songs featured rhythms similar to human music, including evenly spaced notes (1:1), notes spaced twice as long as the previous (1:2), and a second note twice as long as the first (2:1).
Despite their unique musical traits, indris are critically endangered and do not survive in captivity. Researchers warn their future in the wild is uncertain.
