Crocopop and Cat Music
Crocodiles can distinguish classical music from random sounds. This is what brain researchers at Germany's Ruhr-Universität saw on the brain scans of crocodiles listening to Johann Sebastian Bach's Brandenburg Concerto No. 4. But did they also enjoy it?
Crocodile brain
Why would scientists put crocodiles in an MRI scanner and then play them Bach? To distinguish music from random sounds, the brain must be able to recognise complex patterns, which is not easy to do. We already knew that birds and mammals can do this. As for crocodiles, we were not so sure.
Crocodiles are old – about two hundred million years older than classical music. During that time they have hardly evolved at all. Studying their reptilian brains makes it possible to find out how old certain brain characteristics are, such as recognising complex patterns. Thanks to this research, we now know that this ability is very ancient, so we can conclude that all vertebrates have it.
Music fans?
This does not answer the main question, however. Animals are able to recognise our music, but do they appreciate it? As is often the case, scientists are divided. A British study in 2001 showed that cows listening to classical music produced more milk. Was that a sign of appreciation? Most other studies say no. Animals do not appreciate our music. Research in Japan has shown that rats ignore Mozart. The chimpanzees at Edinburgh Zoo have no feelings for Mozart, Beethoven, Adele or Justin Bieber.
Psychology professor Charles Snowdon from the University of Maryland disagrees. He thinks the studies are based on an incorrect assumption. Rats ignore sounds below 4,000 hertz anyway. This means that virtually all human music is irrelevant to them. Moreover, researchers incorrectly view classical music as universal. Our music is not the music of rats and monkeys.
Cat melodies
Snowdon therefore decided to experiment with music that was made specifically for animals. He went for cat music, with an adapted pitch and timbre and a more appropriate tempo. Cats communicate an octave higher than humans and prefer sounds at the tempo at which they purr. The psychologist played his music in the homes of 47 cat owners and observed the animals’ behaviour. He then repeated his experiment using classical music.
Animal hits
As expected, the cats responded much more quickly and positively to the cat music. They walked up to the speakers and rubbed their heads on them. The cats were very slow to respond, with an average response time of two minutes. Most of them were asleep at the beginning of the experiment, and they were in no hurry to wake up. Snowdon repeated his experiment with monkeys and reached a similar conclusion.
Crocopop doesn't exist yet. For now, whether crocodiles appreciate music remains a mystery. Is there a composer in the room who wants to do something for science?
This blog previously appeared in the book "Giraffes don't sink" (Houtekiet Publishers). In it, Kim Verhaeghe, editor at Eos Science magazine, compiled 138 amazing insights from science. Guaranteed to be a fun read!
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