The transparent mini-fish of the species Danionella cerebrum can produce a noise level comparable to that of a jet engine when an aircraft takes off. The fish probably use the sounds to communicate with each other in murky water, the Senckenberg Society for Natural Research reports.
The fish are about one centimeter in size and are native to shallow and murky waters in Myanmar. An international research team recently studied the animals using high-speed video, micro-computed tomography, gene expression analysis and mathematical methods. The researchers discovered that the males of the Danionella species have a unique sound-producing apparatus. A tympanic cartilage, a special rib and a fatigue-resistant muscle are part of it.
Competition between men
The device accelerates the eardrum cartilage with significant force and “shoots it towards the swim bladder to create a fast, loud impulse,” says Senckenberg scientist Ralf Britz. When these impulses are strung together, they produce calls. The experts assume that competition between males in a visually impaired environment contributed to this special mechanism.
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The 140 decibels this produces is comparable to the volume someone feels when an airplane takes off a hundred meters away. Besides the mini fish, other animals can also be loud. The sound that the pistol crab produces with its scissors is up to 250 decibels loud. The mating sounds of the flightless kakapo reach 130 decibels, while elephants with their trunks reach volumes of up to 125 decibels.
Source: Krone
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