The rock hyrax surprises with syntax skills

The rock hyrax is a surprisingly sophisticated communicator, a study published in a Royal Society journal suggests.

The small mammal is extremely vocal: males sing complex songs that can last for several minutes.
But now scientists have discovered that the order of the notes is significant, suggesting that the songs have syntax.
They also found that hyraxes from different regions had a different dialect when they warbled.
This research places the hyrax in a small and eclectic group of skilled animal communicators, including primates, whales, birds and bats.
Arik Kershenbaum, the lead author of the study, from the University of Haifa in Israel, said: "This is something you find very, very rarely amongst mammals."
Love songs The rock hyrax (Procavia capensis) is a social mammal, which lives in large groups, and is found in the Middle East and Africa.
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