Madagascan Lemurs' Rhythmic Calls Offer Clues to Human Musical Evolution

New research finds that indris, known as 'singing lemurs,' use rhythmic vocalizations similar to human music, shedding light on the evolutionary roots of musical rhythm.

Scientists from the Universities of Warwick and Turin studied the vocalizations of indris lemurs in Madagascar.
Indris' songs and alarm calls exhibit isochrony, a rhythmic pattern also found in human music.
The study suggests that musical rhythm may have evolved from early primate communication systems.
Researchers recorded 820 songs from 51 lemurs over a 15-year period to analyze their rhythmic structures.
Findings highlight the deep evolutionary connections between primate vocalizations and human musical traits.