Cats use special purr to manipulate humans
source: http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2009/07/13/cats-purring-humans.html
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- micromermaid
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Cat owners who think their cats control them now have some scientific confirmation: Animal vocalization experts have just identified a special manipulative purr that felines have evolved, in part, to get what they want from people.
The newly identified vocalization, called "solicitation purring," has never been acknowledged or studied before, although cat fanciers, such as the study's lead author Karen McComb, are quite familiar with it.
McComb explained that what cats seem to be doing for the special purr "is producing the low fundamental frequency and its harmonics by muscular activation" -- what has been associated with typical purring -- "but also voicing a cry, probably with the inner edges of the vocal folds, which is then superimposed on the sound's frequency spectrum."
The newly identified vocalization, called "solicitation purring," has never been acknowledged or studied before, although cat fanciers, such as the study's lead author Karen McComb, are quite familiar with it.
McComb explained that what cats seem to be doing for the special purr "is producing the low fundamental frequency and its harmonics by muscular activation" -- what has been associated with typical purring -- "but also voicing a cry, probably with the inner edges of the vocal folds, which is then superimposed on the sound's frequency spectrum."
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- groups:
- Weird Science, Mini Good News
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- tags:
- Humor, Animals, Weird Science, cats, 1 more
