猫科动物叫声通讯的研究进展

Review on Felid Vocal Communication

叫声通讯是动物行为中不可或缺的一种沟通方式。物种或亲属识别、躲避捕食、性选择、领土防御和父母与幼崽的交流等方面都涉及声音号的使用。猫科动物虽不擅长鸣叫,但依然拥有独特的声曲目用于叫声通讯,但目前关于猫科动物叫声的研究文献少,而且较为零碎,缺乏系统的总结,故本文从叫声的种类、叫声的发育、发声器官的形态学研究,以及叫声的功能这4个方面对现有的猫科动物叫声通讯研究进行综述,探讨研究中的潜在问题,为未来继续深入研究猫科动物叫声通讯行为提供参考。我们发现现有的关于猫科动物叫声的基础研究很少,而且主要集中在家猫、猎豹和狮子这3个物种上。关于猫科动物叫声功能性研究更是缺乏,日后需要开展更多相关的研究,进一步探索猫科动物的叫声通讯以及种内和种间互作。

Vocal communication is an indispensable behavior of some animals.Acoustic signals are used in the identification of species or relatives,avoidance of predation,sexual selection,territorial defense and communication between parents and offspring.Felids have a unique vocalization repertoire for communication.Yet there has been little research on the vocal communication of felids and there is a lack of a systematic summary of this subject.We reviewed research on felid vocal communication,focusing on four aspects.Here we discuss potential challenges in this research,including the classification of vocalization,the development of the vocalization,the morphology of the vocal organs,and the functions of vocalization.Our objective was to provide reference for the future study of felid vocal communication and behavior.We found that there has been little basic research on the vocalization of felids,and it focused on three species,viz.domestic cat ( Felis catus ),cheetah ( Acinonyx jubatus ) and lion ( Panthera leo ).The researches about the functions of felid vocalization are rare.More research is needed in the future to explore the vocal communication and the intra-and inter-species interactions of felids.