University of Warwick and University of Turin researchers find the world's only singing lemur opens its mouth wider on higher notes, just like a trained soprano.

National, Sept. 24 -- mouthed in awe as an opera singer hits a soaring top note. Now, researchers at the University of Warwick have found that the indri, the world's only known singing lemur, appears to use a strikingly similar vocal technique to hit high notes.

The new study, published in PLOS Computational Biology, shows the first direct evidence that wild indris (Indri indri) coordinate their mouth opening with the frequency of their songs. In short: finding that the higher the pitch of the song, the wider the indris open their mouth to sing it.

The Opera Singer of the Forest

Found only in the rainforests of Madagascar, indris produce complex, haunting songs that carry across vast distances, strengthening bonds within their social gro...