The Loudest Animals on the Planet

Following the fascinating discovery of the water boatman that creates noise with its “genitals,” will the hierarchy of the loudest animals in the world be rearranged? Let’s take a look at the ‘knights’ of noise in nature according to National Geographic.

Life around us is always filled with sounds and noise. Humans can hear sounds at various frequencies and intensities.

Typically, the sound frequency humans can hear ranges from about 20 to 20,000 Hz, with a hearing threshold of 0 to 25 decibels (dB), where -10 dB is the faintest sound we can detect. A normal human scream is around 70 decibels, and sounds above 120 decibels can be painful to our ears.

In the natural world, there are animals that produce sounds exceeding the human hearing threshold. Fortunately, most of us learn about this thanks to scientists.

1. Ocean Singer, Planet Singer

The Blue Whale is the loudest animal ever known, with a volume reaching 118 decibels. Blue whales do not sing complex ‘songs’ like humpback whales, but their low-frequency calls — below the human hearing threshold — can be detected over 805 kilometers away. Calculations from scientists Roger Payne and Douglas Webb in the 1970s estimated that blue whale songs could travel across oceans.

The blue whale ‘sings’ louder than a jet engine (140 decibels). The loudest human scream reaches just over 70 decibels, while the threshold for ear pain in humans is between 120 and 130 decibels. A few years ago, researchers noticed that whales are decreasing the frequency of their singing.

2. Loudest Terrestrial Species

Howler Monkeys are the loudest terrestrial animals. This species, found in the rainforests of South America, is said to have calls resembling roars and can be heard from 4.8 kilometers away. The volume of howler monkey calls can reach 88 decibels at a distance of 5 meters, which is nearly as loud as the sound of a subway train (95 decibels). Howler monkeys rank just after blue whales in terms of sound volume.

Research indicates that howler monkeys ‘howl’ using a U-shaped bone in their throat. This bone is not actually connected to any other bones, giving it the appearance of being suspended. This resonating bone forms a throat pouch that amplifies the howl before it escapes from the monkey’s mouth.

Howler monkeys vocalize for various reasons, including marking territory, protecting their group, and alerting one another, but humans have yet to decipher their ‘vocabulary.’

3. Noisy Even While Sleeping

When Oilbirds return to their nests, which are caves, they can produce sounds so loud that they may leave you deaf. Oilbirds use echolocation to navigate in completely dark caves. However, unlike the calls of bats, the quacking sounds of oilbirds are within the range of human hearing. Each bird can produce quacks up to 100 decibels when measured up close, and a flock of thousands can create a terrifying cacophony.

Oilbirds seem to use echolocation only when inside their caves and do not rely on it during night foraging. This may be due to their sensitivity not being very high. A scientific experiment showed that oilbirds could crash into plates 10 centimeters wide but could avoid plates that were 20 centimeters wide or larger.

4. The Noisy Amphibian King

Only male Coquí Frogs sing, and their songs have been recorded at up to 100 decibels (measured from 1 meter away), earning them the title of the loudest amphibians known. The calls of this nocturnal frog serve two purposes: to establish territory with other males and to attract females.

In their native habitat in Puerto Rico, coquí frogs are considered part of the island’s natural heritage. However, in Hawaii, residents often lose sleep at night due to the noise caused by large gatherings of these frogs, comparable to having a lawn mower running all night, according to the Hawaii Department of Agriculture.

5. Loudest Explosion Caused by Living Organisms

The Shrimp does not sing, chirp, scream, or whistle; it simply produces the loudest explosion ever created by a living organism. The noise from the shrimp is powerful enough to ‘cloak’ submarines from sonar detection.

Shrimp stun their prey by rapidly closing their specialized claws to shoot jets of water at speeds of 100 km/h, creating a low-pressure air bubble behind them. When the bubble collapses, it produces a mini-explosion with a volume of 200 decibels, stunning and killing their prey.

6. Amplifying Song with Self-Made Speakers

The Gryllotalpa vinae is the loudest insect. This cricket uses its specialized front legs to dig trumpet-shaped burrows. Standing inside its burrow, the cricket can chirp loudly enough for a person standing 600 meters away to hear.

A recording device placed 1 meter from the entrance of the cricket’s burrow captured sounds reaching up to 92 decibels, louder than a lawn mower. In fact, the G. vinae has ‘cheated’ by using its burrow to amplify sound released from its body, converting 30% of its energy into amplified sound.

7. Making Noise with “Genitals”

Although not the loudest animal in nature when measured purely by decibels, the Water Boatman (Micronecta scholtzi) produces the loudest sounds relative to its body size, according to a scientific publication in the journal PloS ONE earlier this month.

Experts and evolutionary biologists in Scotland and France recorded the ‘singing’ of this rice-sized insect at intensities reaching 105 decibels, equivalent to the sound of a hammer striking at arm’s length. While the sound resonates from the bottom of the pond diminishes significantly by the time it reaches the surface, the ‘melody’ of the water boatman is still loud enough for a person standing on the pond’s bank to hear.

Notably, the water boatman creates noise by rubbing its “genitals” against its abdomen, a process similar to how crickets ‘sing.’ Making noise with external genitalia is relatively rare in the animal kingdom; however, many animals have evolved hundreds of different methods to amplify their ‘songs.’

8. Bulldog Bat

The large Bulldog Bat native to the Caribbean uses echolocation to find food, just like all bats. However, instead of feeding on familiar insects, this bat feeds on fish. They can emit sounds that travel through both air and water, reaching up to 140 decibels. These exceptionally loud sounds are ultrasonic, meaning they are beyond the human hearing threshold.

9. Kakapo

Kakapo, also known as the owl parrot, is the noisiest bird in the world. The mating call of this native New Zealand bird can reach up to 132 decibels. Kakapos are nocturnal and are the heaviest parrots globally, weighing 4.85 pounds (2.2 kg) for males. They are also the longest-living birds known, with a lifespan of up to 90 years.

10. White Bellbird (Procnias albus)

White Bellbirds scream loudly to attract mates. (Source: Anselmo d’Affonseca).

To woo their partners, these birds living in the Amazon rainforest will scream at an intensity reaching 125.4 dB. This sound is louder than a chainsaw, pile driver, or rock concert, posing a danger to human hearing.

11. Cicadas

Green cicadas can produce sounds loud enough to burst a human eardrum. (Source: Shutterstock)

Cicadas are notorious for being noisy insects as they produce loud sounds throughout the summer. The two main types are green cicadas and yellow cicadas, which generate the loudest sounds. Males of both species can emit sounds up to 120 decibels from their abdomen to attract females and mate.

12. African Elephant

African Elephants. (Source: Shutterstock)

The roar of an African elephant can be heard over long distances on the savannah. Their communication includes infrasound, going down to 14 hertz, which is beyond human hearing range, and can reach volumes up to 117 decibels, resembling the powerful sound of a trumpet, allowing them to convey information over vast distances.

13. Lion

In the vast lands of Africa, lions are also among the loudest animals on Earth. A lion’s roar can reach up to 114 decibels. This sound can be heard from more than 8 kilometers away on the savannah.

Lions use their powerful roars to communicate, keeping the pride together or warning other lions to stay away.

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