page_title: Animal song
section_title: Mammals
hierarchical_section_title: Animal song / Anatomy of sound production / Mammals
caption_attribution_description: Schematic diagram of sound production and reception in a toothed whale, drawn using XaraXtreme by Emoscopes 06:07, 14 January 2006 (UTC) diagrama esquematico de la produccion y recepcion de sonido en una ballena dentada, dibujado con XaraXtreme por Emoscopes 06:07, 14 January 2006 (UTC)
context_page_description: Animal song is not a well-defined term in scientific literature, and the use of the more broadly defined term 'vocalizations' is in more common use. Song generally consists of several successive vocal sounds incorporating multiple syllables. Some sources distinguish between simpler vocalizations, termed “calls”, reserving the term “song” for more complex productions. Song-like productions have been identified in several groups of animals, including cetaceans, avians, anurans, and humans. Social transmission of song has been found in groups including birds and cetaceans.
context_section_description: Most mammalian species produce sound by passing air from the lungs across the larynx, vibrating the vocal folds. Sound then enters the supralaryngeal vocal tract, which can be adjusted to produce various changes in sound output, providing refinement of vocalizations. Although morphological differences between species affect sound production, neural control is thought to be more essential factor in producing the variations within human speech and song compared to those of other mammals. 
   
  Cetacean vocalizations are an exception to this general mechanism. Toothed whales (Odontocetes) pass air through a system of air sacs and muscular phonic lips, which vibrate to produce audible vocalizations, thus serving the function of vocal folds in other mammals. Sound vibrations are conveyed to an organ in the head called the melon, which can be changed in shape to control and direct vocalizations. Unlike in humans and other mammals, toothed whales are able to recycle air used in vocal production, allowing whales to sing without releasing air. Some cetaceans, such as humpback whales, sing continuously for hours.
caption: Toothed whale (Odontocete) vocal anatomy
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