A study of lemurs, a kind of primate from Madagascar (an island off the south-east coast of Africa), could offer important clues as to how humans have evolved to create music.
Scientists studied how the indri species, also known as “singing lemurs”, communicate with each other. The animals live in small family groups in the rainforest and produce honk-like calls. These calls follow a steady beat, called “isochrony”, which is similar to the beat you hear in human-made music.
Scientists saw that the indris sang when greeting each other; when the animals got lost in the forest, or to alert family members to nearby predators. They also have loud singing battles with other groups of lemurs. Scientists say that singing helps the animals bond.
The researchers think that the lemurs’…
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The Week Junior (UK) (Digital) - 1 Issue, 447