Extinct wildebeest cousin had vuvuzela in its schnoz [videos]

If you thought the constant barking of the dog next door or the car blasting bass was annoying, thank your lucky stars you weren’t alive in the time of this most unmelodious extinct cousin of the wildebeest. The animal dubbed Rusingoryx atopocranion wandered the area of what is today Africa’s Lake Victoria around 40,000 and 285,000 years ago and is the only mammal ever found to have a distinctive S-shaped cavity in its head scientists believed filled the plains with a sound similar to the vuvuzelas that made the 2010 World Cup so annoying. Other aspects of the animal’s anatomy indicate the sounds could have been too low for predators to hear, making communication that much more convenient. Otherwise, its extinction will come as no surprise to anyone who’s heard a vuvuzela. In case you’ve forgotten, here’s what thousands of vuvuzelas sound like:

And here’s a modern wildebeest herd:

Bored of checking for new Posts, why don't you get all in your Email: