WHAT SOUNDS LIKE SILENCE
often contains messages not meant for
human ears. Some critters make noises
too high- or low-pitched for our bodies to
process. On the other end of the wildlife
spectrum, calls can be so intense that they
cause us pain and irreversible hearing loss.
But much of nature’s symphony is simply
unexpected. Tiny creatures are some of the
loudest; seemingly mute animals aren’t re-
ally quiet at all; and even the ocean is filled
with song. This scatter plot shows the vol-
ume and frequency of some of the wildest,
noisiest, and most intense voices that color
our world’s acoustic landscape.animal
noises are off
the charts
SCATTEREDFREQUENCY(Hz)VOLUME (dB)10,20,50 100 150 200 25030,40,50,60,70,Trident bat
To fit this mega-
high-pitched
screech, we’d
need to make
this chart about
a foot and a
half taller!Mouse
Philippine
tarsierGiraffe Elephant MidshipmanRoosterchatter
territory call
mating call
echolocationHuman hearing
limitsWater boatman
This arthropod makes
a big racket for be-
ing less than 3⁄8 inch
long. Males rub their
genitals against their
abdomens, likely as
a come-hither move,
and the resulting chirp
can clock 105 decibels.African cicada
Brevisana brevis
uses a pair of ribbed
membranes on its
midsection to create
a sound as loud as a
rock concert. It could
cause minor hearing
loss in less than five
minutes.Bullfrog
With mating calls
ranging from 90 to
4,000 hertz, this in-
vasive species has
forced locals like white-
banded tree frogs to
communicate at higher
frequencies, according
to Brazilian biologists.Blue whale
These giants can
croon clear across the
Atlantic. Notes occur
one, even two minutes
apart, making for a
ballad so low and slow
that only other ceta-
ceans of their kind can
truly understand it.Sperm whale
Earth’s loudest re-
corded animals use
high-frequency clicks
to hunt. Sound waves
traverse the depths
until they bounce off
prey, then ricochet
back to detail the
snack’s coordinates.Type of messageby Donavyn Coffey / infographic by Sara Chodosh POPSCI.COM•WINTER 2019 13