"Courtship" Call of Subterranean Mole Rats (Spalax ehrenbergi): Physical Analysis

Abstract

Calls used during courtship were analyzed for 59 male mole rats (Spalax ehrenbergi). The x̄ ± SD of the main frequency was 568.0 ± 35.6 Hz, the lower value of the main frequency according to sonograms was 502.3 ± 36.9 Hz, and the pulse repetition rate was 23.7 ± 2.8/s. Calls are noisy, with energy spread primarily from 0.5 to 4.5 kHz. The low frequency of this call seems to be a specialization to life in underground tunnels.