Once considered to be the evolutionary achievement of humans alone, the history of how the descended larynx came to be is being deciphered with the help of deer.
Once considered to be the evolutionary achievement of humans alone, the history of how the descended larynx came to be is being deciphered with the help of deer.
The uniquely low placement of the voice box in the throat allows men and stags alike to make markedly deeper sounds than the females of their species.
For a long time the feature was believed to be exclusively human and linked to speech. Evidence that the phenomenon also exists in certain types of male deer has opened the floor for further examination and discovery into why it happens at all.
Not surprisingly, deep voices give both species an advantage when they’re wooing females.
In the deer world the ladies flock towards the stags with the deepest roars, as they’re associated with providing the best chances for reproduction.
Human females have also shown a marked preference for men with deep voices.
Of course, attracting women is only half the battle, as the competition still needs to be beaten.
Both men and stags have been known to lower their pitch in the presence of males they consider to be rivals.
Through doing so they’re able to size each other up and establish dominance.
