Birdlike Voices, Not Roars: New Fossils Rewrite Dinosaur Soundscapes
Two rare dinosaur fossils with preserved voice boxes (Pinacosaurus grangeri in Mongolia and Pulaosaurus qinglong in China) show these animals likely produced birdlike, closed‑mouth sounds rather than mammalian roars, challenging decades of Jurassic Park‑era depictions. The anatomy suggests avian‑type vocalization without a syrinx, while living archosaurs and prior studies point to potentially widespread but varied vocal strategies across dinosaur groups. Hadrosaurs used resonant crests for distinctive calls, highlighting a spectrum of sound production. Despite this breakthrough, preserved vocal anatomy is rare, so researchers caution against a single narrative about dinosaur sounds until more fossils are found.