Tissue vibrations in the larynx produce most sounds that comprise vocal communication in mammals. Larynx morphology is thus predicted to be a key target for selection, particularly in species with highly developed vocal communication systems. Here, we present a novel database of digitally modeled scanned larynges from 55 different mammalian species, representing a wide range of body sizes in the primate and carnivoran orders. Using phylogenetic comparative methods, we demonstrate that the primate larynx has evolved more rapidly than the carnivoran larynx, resulting in a pattern of larger size and increased deviation from expected allometry with body size. These results imply fundamental differences between primates and carnivorans in the balance of selective forces that constrain larynx size and highlight an evolutionary flexibility in primates that may help explain why we have developed complex and diverse uses of the vocal organ for communication.

喉部的组织振动会产生大多数声音，其中包括哺乳动物的声音交流。因此，喉头形态被预测为选择的主要目标，特别是在具有高度发达的人声交流系统的物种中。在这里，我们介绍了来自55个不同哺乳动物物种的数字化扫描喉管的新颖数据库，这些数据库代表着灵长类和肉食动物的各种体型。使用系统发育比较方法，我们证明了灵长类动物的喉头比食肉动物的喉头进化得更快，从而导致了更大的形态，并且与预期的异体感随体型增加了偏差。