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LIONS roar, elephants trumpet 鈥� but what do giraffes do?

Biologists have speculated for years about whether giraffes can vocalise, or whether their long necks prevent them from producing the necessary airflow.

After reviewing almost 1000 hours of sound recordings from three European zoos, at the University of Vienna, Austria, has an answer.

Her microphones picked up a low hum from the giraffe enclosures at night. At about 92 hertz, the sound is just within the lower limit of human hearing (). Giraffes have a structured social system, and for a long time scientists have been trying to figure out how they communicate, says at Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

鈥淭his new vocalisation could add a piece to that puzzle,鈥� she says.

The recordings might come as no surprise to the residents of Paignton in Devon, UK. Last year some of them complained of a at night.

However, despite the new findings, Paignton Zoo denies any giraffe involvement. 鈥淣o, definitely not linked to our neighbours鈥� issue 鈥� but the image of our giraffes humming happily to themselves all night is a delightful one,鈥� says Phil Knowling, press and public relations officer at Paignton Zoo.

This article appeared in print under the headline 鈥淲ho鈥檚 telling tall tales about nocturnal giraffe noises?鈥�