Sound Producing Mechanisms in Recent Reptiles: Review and Comment

Reptiles produce sound by three categories of devices: thoseinvolving massive air expulsions or movements, those involvingmodulations of intermittent air movements through a modifiedglottis, and those involving rubbing or vibration of the integument.Each ocours in numerous species and there is good evidence ofmultiple origins. Most of the devices are used as predator deterrents,but there are a few cases of sound being used as an intraspecificcommunicating device. The various structures are here discussed.One may ask the general question whether the distribution ofreptilian sensory modalities may not have forced this rathermiscellaneous distribution of signalling devices.