Jackass penguin call shares traits of human speech, scientists say

Researchers analysed 590 recordings taken in Italian zoos of birds' distinctive sound

The call of the jackass penguin, a wheezing bray that sounds like a donkey in distress, follows some of the same linguistic laws found in human languages, scientists have found.

Researchers say that, just like in our own speech, more frequently used sounds within the call tend to be shorter, while the longer the call, the shorter the sounds within it. It is the first time this pattern has been shown outside primates.