The acoustic structure of male giant panda bleats varies according to intersexual context

Although the acoustic structure of mammal vocal signals often varies according to the social context of emission, relatively few mammal studies have examined acoustic variation during intersexual advertisement. In the current study male giant panda bleats were recorded during the breeding season in three behavioural contexts: vocalising alone, during vocal interactions with females outside of peak oestrus, and during vocal interactions with peak-oestrous females. Male bleats produced during vocal interactions with peak-oestrous females were longer in duration and had higher mean fundamental frequency than those produced when males were either involved in a vocal interaction with a female outside of peak oestrus or vocalising alone. In addition, males produced bleats with higher rates of fundamental frequency modulation when they were vocalising alone than when they were interacting with females. These results show that acoustic features of male giant panda bleats have the potential to signal the caller's motivational state, and suggest that males increase the rate of fundamental frequency modulation in bleats when they are alone to maximally broadcast their quality and promote close-range contact with receptive females during the breeding season.