"To our knowledge, the only other example of a specialized sound-producing organ in mammals that is independent of the larynx are the phonic lips that toothed whales use to generate echolocation clicks," Charlton says.
The combination of morphological, video, and acoustic data in the new study represents the first evidence in a terrestrial mammal of an organ other than the larynx that is dedicated to sound production. Charlton says that he and his colleagues will now look more closely at other mammals to find out whether this vocal adaptation is truly unique to koalas.
This video shows the velar fold vibration at 10-45 Hz.
(Photo Credit: Current Biology, Charlton et al)
This is a koala at Cape Otway.
(Photo Credit: Benjamin Charlton)
Source: Cell Press