Researchers Recreate Dinosaur Sounds Using Bizarre Instrument!
Artist Courtney Brown performs with the dinosaur instrument she created!
Post Author- Ellis Nolan
Since the first discoveries of dinosaur fossils, much attention has been paid to their physical characteristics; what they looked like. Did they have feathers, scales or both? How did they walk, on two legs or four? So on and so forth. A recent project aims to shed light on another aspect of how dinosaurs were perceived—their sounds!
The project, known as the Dinosaur Choir, will eventually be a collection of instruments designed to replicate the calls of specific dinosaurs. The first instrument is based on Corythosaurus, a large, duck-billed dinosaur with massive head chambers that scientists hypothesize were used for amplifying its calls.
Part of the inspiration for the project was a study in 2023 that compared an Ankylosaurus’s fossilized larynx to those of modern reptiles and birds, finding that the dinosaurs’ more closely resembled the latter. This led the researchers to hypothesize that dinosaur calls were most likely produced in the syrinx, an unique organ in birds that vibrates to produce sound, that has also been found in dinosaur fossils.
The Corythosaurus instrument was created first by taking CT scans of a Corythosaurus skull, which was then modified to account for the fossil deforming over millions of years. The researchers then created a computer program that creates sounds based on a raven’s syrinx scaled up to the size of a Corythosaurus. After that, they 3D printed their intricate scan of the skull, which was then connected to a microphone, as well as a speaker.
To play the instrument, a user blows air into the microphone. The voice program, installed on a Raspberry Pi Computer, uses the input from the microphone to output a dinosaur call, which then resonates the 3D printed skull, further shaping the sound. Depending on how the user blows into the microphone, the instrument creates many different fascinating calls. Users can even change the dimensions of the larynx to experiment, as one belonging to a Corythosaurus has yet to be found.
The creators are hopeful that this will be the first member of many in their Dinosaur Choir. One glaring question remains, though. That is, “will a T-Rex be a member?” The creators note that is a possibility, however, since the Tyrannosaurus skull contains so many large openings, they are doubtful it would produce a very satisfying sound.
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