📢NEW PAPER (a thread): Proud and happy to announce our new paper (open access) in @PLOSBiology: 'Rapid evolution of the primate larynx?'. Thanks to Dan Bowling, Jeroen Smaers, @_MaximeGarcia, @TecumsehFitch, and other brilliant colleagues!! 🎉🙏journals.plos.org/plosbiology/ar… 1/10
The larynx is an important organ, which has evolved for three key functions: protecting the airway during feeding, regulating the supply of air to and from the lungs, and vocal communication. Therefore, we may expect it to be under strong selection pressure (howler in image) 2/10 
We present a novel database of larynges from 55 mammalian spp., covering the full range of body size in primates (pygmy marmoset to gorilla ) and carnivorans (dwarf mongoose to tiger). We created 3D models of each larynx from CT data to facilitate detailed measurements 3/10
Primate larynges are significantly larger than carnivoran larynges rel. to body size. We don't know for sure why. It may be related to lower freq. calls in forests, differences in diet/locomotion, or other selection pressures on call freq/body size (socio-sexual?) 4/10🐵
Primate larynges are also significantly more variable in size, and have evolved significantly faster 5/10
As expected, we found strong negative acoustic allometry in both clades. Interestingly, though, variation in larynx size has a significantly stronger effect on call frequency in primates than it does in carnivorans (i.e, steeper slope) 6/10
These results imply differences between primates and other mammals in the forces that constrain larynx size & highlight an evolutionary flexibility in primates that may help explain why we see such complex and diverse uses of the vocal organ in this clade 7/10
Most amusing moment? ✈️ from EDI to VIE, via AMS with specimens. On arrival only 3 out of 4 cool boxes arrived. I then had to go and explain to the customs official that my missing luggage was a large cool box which contained a frozen jaguar torso!! 😂 8/10
Next project is to broaden the analyses further by looking at other orders of mammals. If primates continue to show remarkable differences, then this would strongly suggest that the primate larynx really is something special. 📸Research team in @TecumsehFitch Lab, Vienna 9/10
THANKS to everyone who supported us @CamBioanth @AngliaRuskin @aru_fse @univienna @Stanford @stonybrooku @royalsociety and many others. Also thanks to @bones2bytes for help throughout project and cool CT images, above. Please get in touch with questions!! 10/10 📸@KateGrounds
