Nicolas Mathevon - Publications#
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 9780691236759
Published (US): Jun 27, 2023
Published (UK): Aug 22, 2023
Copyright: 2023
Prof. Mathevon received the 2024 R.R. Hawkins Award
("PROSE AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN BIOLOGICAL & LIFE SCIENCES") by the Association of American Publishers (AAP) for The Voices of Nature: How and Why Animals Communicate
What is the meaning of a bird’s song, a baboon’s bark, an owl’s hoot, or a dolphin’s clicks? In The Voices of Nature, Nicolas Mathevon explores the mysteries of animal sound. Putting readers in the middle of animal soundscapes that range from the steamy heat of the Amazon jungle to the icy terrain of the Arctic, Mathevon reveals the amazing variety of animal vocalizations. He describes how animals use sound to express emotion, to choose a mate, to trick others, to mark their territory, to call for help, and much more. What may seem like random chirps, squawks, and cries are actually signals that, like our human words, allow animals to carry on conversations with others.
Mathevon explains how the science of bioacoustics works to decipher the ways animals make and hear sounds, what information is encoded in these sound signals, and what this information is used for in daily life. Drawing on these findings as well as observations in the wild, Mathevon describes, among many other things, how animals communicate with their offspring, how they exchange information despite ambient noise, how sound travels underwater, how birds and mammals learn to vocalize, and even how animals express emotion though sound. Finally, Mathevon asks if these vocalizations, complex and expressive as they are, amount to language.
For readers who have wondered about the meaning behind a robin’s song or cicadas’ relentless “tchik-tchik-tchik,” this book offers a listening guide for the endlessly varied concert of nature.
Selected Publications#
1. Book: Mathevon N, forthcoming. Animal languages revealed by the science of Bioacoustics (provisional title).
2. Thévenet J, Grimault N, Fonseca P, Mathevon N, 2022. Voice-mediated interactions in a megaherbivore. Current Biology, 32:R55-R71.
3. Book: Aubin T, Mathevon N (Eds), 2020. Coding strategies in vertebrate acoustic communication. Springer.
4. Garcia M, Theunissen F, Sèbe F, Clavel J, Ravignani A, Marin-Cudraz T, Fuchs J, Mathevon N, 2020. Evolution of communication signals and information during species radiation. Nature Communications, 11:4970.
5. Bouchet H, Plat A, Levréro F, Reby D, Patural H, Mathevon N, 2020. Baby cry recognition is independent of motherhood but improved by experience and exposure. Proceedings of the Royal Society B, 287:20192499.
6. Mathevon N, Casey C, Reichmuth C, Charrier I, 2017. Northern elephant seals memorize the rhythm and timbre of their rivals’ voices. Current Biology, 27:2352-2356.
7. Mouterde S, Elie J, Mathevon N, Theunissen F, 2017. Single neurons in the avian auditory cortex encode individual identity and propagation distance in naturally degraded communication calls. The Journal of Neuroscience, 37:3491-3510.
8. Gustafsson E, Levrero F, Reby D, Mathevon N, 2013. Fathers are just as good as mothers at recognizing the cries of their baby. Nature Communications, 4:1698.
9. Vignal C, Mathevon N, Mottin S, 2004. Audience drives male songbird response to partner’s voice. Nature, 430:448-451.
10. Charrier I, Mathevon N, Jouventin P, 2001. Mother’s voice recognition by seal pups. Nature, 412:873.
