Scientists discover a new type of lion roar

Scientists have discovered a new type of lion roar, the intermediate roar, which is shorter and lower pitched than the animal's iconic full-throated roar. Researchers found that these intermediate roars always follow full-throated roars, revealing that lion vocalisations are more complex than thought. “The full-throated roar is an explosion of sound – it’s loud and complex and arcs in pitch,” said Jonathan Growcott, a doctoral student at the University of Exeter. “The intermediary roar differs by being a flatter sound with less variation.”

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This challenges the long-held belief that there's only one kind of lion roar, and could help researchers estimate lion population sizes more accurately. Lions roar to communicate with their pride and establish their territory. Previous research has indicated that lions’ full-throated roars are unique, individually identifiable signatures that contain information about their sex, age and other characteristics. Sound recordings can help scientists count the number of lions in a landscape, and thus make population density estimates.