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This website is dedicated to CHINCHILLA COMMUNICATION. It is based on the research of Dr. med. vet. Juliana Bartl. She is a long-time chinlover and chinowner since many years. We appreciate her sound samples and overall support of this website project. Enjoy our chinchilla "voices"!

CHINCHILLA SOUNDS

SONS DU CHINCHILLA

LA VOCE DEI CHINCILLA

LA VOCAL DE LAS CHINCHILLAS

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ABSTRACT

Vocalisations of chinchillas living in sociable groups
by Dr. med. vet. Bartl / Germany

The objective of this project was to investigate the sound repertoire of chinchillas within a sociable group. For that purpose, 26 chinchillas, 13 G and 13 E, were kept in three-dimensional cages in familial groups of two to seven animals. The adult animals ranged in age from one to twenty years. During the study period ten young animals were born in five litters.

The sounds made by the chinchillas were recorded on magnetic tape on three direct channels of a racal recorder using three electret microphone capsules (Conrad®) and a universal pre-amplifier (Conrad®). The sounds recorded on magnetic tape were digitalized using the software Avisoft SasLabPro (Raimund Specht®) Version 2.0. The digitalized data were then used to create sonagrams in the form of intensity-frequency-time diagrams. The sonagrams were initially used to identify individual sounds according to certain parameters (time, intensity, frequency), and characteristics in the appearance of the banding pattern. Then the combination of the individual sounds to form sound sequences was investigated. The ethological observations were made by means of "behaviour sampling" and "continuous recording" according to MARTIN AND BATESON (1986).

A total of 1851 chinchilla sounds were registered on tape. All sounds recorded were within a frequency range of 0 Hz to 11 kHz. The occurrence of ultrasounds has not been investigated. The sounds analysed within the framework of this paper comprised both tonal and atonal vocalisations. In the sonagram all sounds exhibited a typical structure which made differentiation easy. The basic frequency of all tonal vocalisations was within a range of 172 Hz to 1808 Hz. One exception was the "squeal" with a basic frequency of 1550 Hz to 3703 Hz. The highest frequencies found were between 1 kHz and 11 kHz. As regards the structure, 10 different sounds could be characterised. They were attributed to the behavioural contexts of exploratory behaviour, predator avoidance, sexual behaviour, and social behaviour, including social contact and agonistic behaviour (defensive and offensive).

The "alarm call", which is attributed to predator avoidance, consists of a homotypic, rhythmic sequence of up to 11 individual sounds. Upon hearing the "alarm call" the chinchillas in all cages leave the ground area and escape onto or into the sleeping houses.
Defensive agonistic behaviour was associated with two sounds, the "clicking sound" and the "defence sound", both of which are used as individual sounds as well as together as a heterotypic sound sequence. The "clicking sound" is a broadband signal made upon direct and disagreeable bodily contact with another chinchilla, along with a simultaneous shaking of the head. The "defence sound" is used over distances and is intended to make the addressee go away or keep their distance.
Both the "squeal" and the "grinding of teeth" were placed into the context of offensive agonistic behaviour. The "squeal" is a shrill, loud individual sound with a considerably higher basic frequency than all other sounds. It is mainly used by female chinchillas with offspring against other females. The mechanically created "grinding of teeth" with a homotypic sound sequence is used as a threat, e.g. at the border of territory.
The "attract call" is a sound made to establish contact between adult chinchillas. If this sequence of usually two to five individual sounds is made by a chinchilla in a variety of situations other group members will come running.
In addition, two contact sounds between young and adult chinchillas were identified during this project: the "sucking sound" and the "offspring contact sound". The "sucking sound" is a homotypic sound sequence made during sucking at the mother animal, inducing the latter to sit still.
The "offspring contact sound" is also a homotypic sound sequence made up of highly frequency-modulated individual sounds. The "offspring contact sound" was made upon naso-nasal contact with and during anal stimulation by adult chinchillas. Use of the "sucking sound" was discontinued upon weaning of the young animals at 6 weeks of age, and that of the "offspring contact sound" at an age of 10 weeks.
The "position sound" and "mating call" is placed into the context of sexual behaviour. It is made both by male and female chinchillas prior to the act of mating together with a lateral motion of the tail and the emission of a typical scent. attributed to exploratory behaviour is used in homotypic sound sequences of up to 28 individual sounds, as well as in heterotypic sound sequences mainly in combination with the "attract call". This individually modulated sound is intended to indicate to the chinchillas of one group the position of the animal making the sound within the cage. As a heterotypic sound sequence made up of three individual types of sound the

The repertoire of chinchillas comprises many more sounds which, however, cannot be covered within the framework of this project, partly due to the methods used. Additional studies are required in order to investigate the niceties both in the structure of the sounds and in the animals´ behaviour.

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