Millions of years ago, dinosaurs roamed the Earth, leaving behind a legacy encrusted in rock. Their fossils have given us a glimpse of their physical form, species, traits, and even lifestyle. And all this gives us clues about the sounds of the dinosaurs.
Although we can imagine what they looked like, the sounds of the dinosaurs had remained a mystery.
Now, a new study suggests that these fossilized remains could also provide clues about the sounds of these huge creatures. Researchers at New York University (USA) have created a unique pipe-like instrument inspired by the distinctive crest of a dinosaur.
“I have been fascinated by giant animals since childhood. I spent hours reading books, watching movies and imagining what it would be like if dinosaurs still existed today,” said Hongjun Lin, author of the study.
“It wasn’t until college that I realized that the sounds we hear in movies are completely fabricated, using sounds from modern animals. That’s when I decided to explore more deeply what dinosaurs would have really sounded like,” added Lin.
How did some dinosaurs make sounds?
The team specifically focused on Parasaurolophusa duck-billed dinosaur that lived 70-80 million years ago. These giants reached a height of about 5 meters and weighed between 2,700 and 3,600 kilograms.
What caught the researchers’ attention the most was its unique crest Parasaurolophusa curved bony structure that protruded from the skull of some dinosaur species.
Throughout time, the ridge has been a mystery to paleontologists. Some have speculated that it may have served as a “super nose” or an underwater breathing apparatus.
Recent studies on the fossils of Parasaurolophus suggests, however, that this ridge was most likely used for sound production. The hollow tubes inside the crest indicate that they functioned as resonance chambers, amplifying the dinosaur’s vocalizations, scrie Interesting Engineering.
A simple device that imitates the sounds of dinosaurs
To understand the acoustic properties of the ridge, Lin created a physical model that reflects this structure. The pattern consists of tubes arranged similar to the hollow chambers in the real crest, delicately suspended with cotton threads. A small speaker introduced sound vibrations, and a microphone picked up the resulting frequencies.
The model, baptized by the researchers “Linophone” is not an exact replica of the crest of Parasaurolophus. “I wanted something streamlined and easy to model and build. My ultimate goal is to recreate the sound Parasaurolophus”, Lin explained.
Early findings suggest the dinosaur used its crest for “resonance”, similar to how modern birds use their crests to amplify sounds.
This physical model provides a tangible representation of a mathematical model under development that will simulate real systems through equations and algorithms. On the more fun side, Lin plans to create a software extension that will allow people to experiment with dinosaur sounds and integrate them into musical compositions.
The device was presented at the virtual meeting a Acoustical Society of Americaedition 187.
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Source: www.descopera.ro
