Roar (utterance)

A roar is a deep, bellowing outburst of sound forced through an open mouth. Only the four species of "big cats" (tigers, lions, jaguars & leopards) make the sound commonly referred to as a roar.[1] Their ability to roar comes from a specially adapted larynx and an elongated hyoid, a small bone in the throat that is not completely rigid in the adults. Both genders of the "big cats" will roar for various reasons, including territorial proclamation, communication with other members, and anger.[2] Additionally, the roar of a lion is used in the process of finding and competing for a mate.

The overall roar pattern is composed of three segments - a beginning segment sounding like moaning, a middle segment with low frequency loud tones and a final segment which sounds much like grunting. The lion's roar is familiar to many through Leo the Lion, the iconic logo seen during the opening sequence of MGM films. The portion of Leo's roar that is actually heard is only the middle segment of a roar, omitting the first and last segments.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Big Cat Facts". Animal Facts Encyclopedia. Copyright by Jenise Alongi. Retrieved March 17, 2016.
  2. ↑ "The Lion's Roar: More than Just Hot Air - National Zoo| FONZ". Nationalzoo.si.edu. Retrieved 2012-10-19.

External links

Look up roar in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.


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