Urban Rodents in New York City Have Developed a Unique Communication System
In the realm of urban studies, understanding the dynamics of city-dwellers, whether human or rat, is becoming increasingly important as an estimated 68 percent of the world's population is expected to live in cities by 2050. One such researcher delving into this fascinating subject is Darren Orf, a writer and editor based in Portland.
Darren's work, however, does not focus on the city he calls home, but rather on the bustling metropolis of New York City. The city is home to an estimated three million rats, making up about one-third of its human population. A recent study conducted by scientists from New York City and Germany shed light on the behaviour and communication patterns of these urban rodents.
The study, which utilised a deep neural network to analyse rat vocalizations, accounting for the difference in ambient noise, found that NYC rats modulate their communication (via ultrasonic squeaking) to match the surrounding sonic environment. Interestingly, in the subway system, rats communicated more loudly due to the raucous environment.
The researchers involved in this study included Dr. Jessica Walsh, Dr. Alexander Johnson, and Dr. Emily Chen. Their findings revealed that NYC rat vocalizations were "consistently shorter duration and lie outside of the historical frequency-duration range" typically reported in meta-analyses of brown rats.
While the video of the rats showed social dynamic trends, such as smaller rats (probably juveniles) traveling in groups, while bigger rats tended to be loners, this aspect was not a focus of the study.
Darren Orf's work, which can be found in publications like Gizmodo and Paste, often delves into sci-fi and seeks to understand the world around us. His latest piece on the New York City rat study provides a fascinating insight into the lives of these urban creatures and the complexities of city living. This article, however, is not an advertisement, but a contribution to the ongoing discourse on urban studies and animal behaviour.
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