Rodent romance: male mice use 'love songs' to woo their women

Yahoo News ^ | 4/3/15 | Will Dunham - Reuters

[NormsRevenge]

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - "Some people want to fill the world with silly love songs. And what's wrong with that? I'd like to know," Paul McCartney sings in his 1976 song "Silly Love Songs." Mice might agree.

It turns out male mice actually use ultrasonic "love songs" to woo females, using different tunes when they smell but do not see a female and when they lay eyes on their potential lady love, scientists said on Wednesday.

"I do think there is more going on with animal communication than we humans have been attuned to," Duke University neurobiology professor Erich Jarvis said. "There is a clear communication signal in the mouse songs and not just random sequences of vocalizations."

[W.]

Oh, the screenshot pic of Mickey from the South Park episode 'Eek, a Penis' that I could post, but won't...

[imardmd1]

Lovers always need to be on the same wavelength, which here seems to be a high frequency —

[UCANSEE2]

"What do you mean, can we sing?"

[RetSignman]

Rodent romance: DemocRATS

[Jamestown1630]

Look up the work of Matina Kalcounis-Rueppell:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HzAn8fyQ418

http://biology.uncg.edu/faculty/matina_kalcounis/

I think Sally Carrighar was my first introduction to the singing of deer mice, in one of her books:

http://www.amazon.com/Beetle-Rock-California-Legacy-Book/dp/1890771538

-JT

[Jamestown1630]

Captain and Tenille played ‘Muskrat Love’ at a state dinner for Queen Elizabeth, in 1976:

http://wfgr.com/muskrat-love-by-captain-and-tenille/

-JT

[Beowulf9]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g40WCBaUXR4 They don't see you as I do I wish they would try too I bet they'd think again... If they had a friend like Ben:)

[Beowulf9]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g40WCBaUXR4

[Rockingham]

I hope that those with poor signing voices learned to put on some Barry White and old Motown tunes.

[jonrick46]

Muskrat, muskrat candlelight
Doin’ the town and doin’ it right
In the evenin’
It’s pretty pleasin’

Muskrat Susie, muskrat Sam
Do the jitterbug out in muskrat land
And they shimmy
And Sammy’s so skinny

And they whirled and they twirled and they tangoed
Singin’ and jinglin’ the jango
Floatin’ like the heavens above
It looks like muskrat love

Nibblin’ on bacon, Chewin’ on cheese
Sammy says to Suisie “Honey would you please be my missus?”
And she says yes
With her kisses

And now he’s ticklin’ her fancy
Rubbin’ her toes,
Muzzle to muzzle, now anything goes
As they wiggle
And Sue starts to giggle
And they whirled and they twirled and they tangoed
Singin’ and jinglin’ the jango
Floatin’ like the heavens above
It looks like muskrat love

[Does so]

Muskrat males sing audibly while chasing females while swimming. I’ve heard it myself, and wouldn’t have known of their presence otherwise.