Vocal repertoire of adult captive red pandas (Ailurus fulgens)

Vocal signals are a common communication tool used to recognize different individuals, advertise fertile phases or discriminate amongst potential mates. Therefore, a thorough understanding of vocal repertoires forms the basis for investigating the role of acoustic signaling in the sexual and social behavior of any animal. Red pandas (<i>Ailurus fulgens</i>) are classified as a vulnerable species and have declined by as much as 40% over the past 50 years in China. Adult red pandas are known to call frequently during mating and aggressive encounters; however, no quantitative description of their vocalizations has been attempted. Here, the vocal repertoire of captive red pandas was investigated. Acoustical and statistical analyses indicated seven vocalization types during the breeding season: “growl”, “bark”, “squeal”, “bleat”, “hoot”, “grunt” and “twitter”; the spectrogram for each vocalization type was extracted. The type of vocalizations produced varied with behavioral state and implies different functional contexts. Future studies are needed to uncover the functions of red panda vocalizations in individual recognition, sexual selection and social interaction.

声音信号是动物常见的交流工具，可用于识别不同个体、宣示发情阶段或甄别潜在配偶。因此，全面掌握物种的声乐曲目库，是研究声学信号在任意动物性行为与社会行为中所发挥作用的基础。小熊猫（*Ailurus fulgens*）被列为易危物种，过去50年间中国境内的种群数量降幅最高可达40%。已知成年小熊猫在交配与攻击性互动过程中会频繁发出叫声，但目前尚未有针对其鸣叫声的量化描述研究。本研究针对圈养小熊猫的声乐曲目库展开了调查。通过声学与统计分析，在繁殖季中共识别出7种鸣叫声类型：低吼（growl）、吠叫（bark）、尖叫（squeal）、咩叫（bleat）、鸣啼（hoot）、咕哝（grunt）以及啁啾（twitter），并提取了每种鸣叫声的语谱图。所发出的鸣叫声类型会随行为状态发生变化，暗示其对应不同的功能场景。未来仍需开展相关研究，以阐明小熊猫鸣叫声在个体识别、性选择以及社会互动中的具体功能。