Overview
- The study, published in Ecology and Evolution, identifies an acoustically distinct 'intermediary roar' alongside the classic full-throated roar.
- Researchers analyzed more than 3,000 calls drawn from tens of thousands of hours of audio in Tanzania and collar recordings from Zimbabwe.
- The intermediary roar is shorter, flatter and lower in maximum frequency than the full-throated roar within a roaring bout.
- Models classified call types with reported accuracy up to 95.4% and identified individual lions, outperforming human experts in tests.
- Scientists say passive acoustic monitoring could help estimate populations and track individuals, though the new roar’s function remains unclear and further automated, context-rich validation is needed.