It turns out a tiny fish trumps the mighty elephant
An acoustic anomaly!
In nature’s volume wars, a fish no bigger than a fingernail wins! In a surprising twist, this little critter packs a louder punch than most in the animal kingdom.
According to a new study shared by CNN, a small species of fish, called Danionella Cerebrum, makes a louder noise than the trumpet of an elephant.
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The tiny translucent fish lives in shallow waters off Myanmar (formerly known as Burma) in Southeast Asia. Dynamite really does come in small packages, as it can generate noises of more than 140 decibels.
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“This is comparable to the noise a human perceives of an airplane during take-off at a distance of 100 meter and quite unusual for an animal of such diminutive size,” said study author Ralf Britz, an ichthyologist at the Senckenberg Natural History Museum in Dresden, Germany, in the press release.
While it is incredibly uncommon for small animals to project noise louder than large animals, it does occur.
Danionella cerebrum is a marvel of nature. Researchers used high-speed video recordings, micro-CT scans, and analysed genetic information to show that males of the species “possess a unique sound-generating apparatus that includes drumming cartilage, a specialized rib, and a fatigue-resistant muscle,” the press release said.
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How do the tiny fish make noise?
The fish start by hitting the cartilage against their swim bladder. It is a gas-filled organ that allows them to maintain depth in water. This results in a rapid pulse, i.e a loud noise.
“No other fish has been reported to use repeated unilateral muscle contractions for sound production,” reads the study.
This fish is special - not for the fact that it can make a loud noise but for the age-old idea that size doesn’t matter.
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