The animal with the loudest cry in the world is the sperm whale with a sound level of up to 230dB. But not only large animals make such terrible sounds, many small animals such as cicadas can also make equally loud sounds.
To measure sound, people use the unit hertz (Hz) for sound frequency and decibels (dB) for sound pressure. Humans can hear sound frequencies from 20Hz to 20,000Hz, equivalent to about 0 to 125 dB.
Sperm whale – 230dB
Blue whale calls were recorded at 188bD, louder than the sound of a jet engine during takeoff. But this sound level is nothing compared to the cry of the sperm whale, which can emit sounds of up to 230dB. Obviously, in terms of dB, the sperm whale is the champion with the loudest cry on the planet today.
Shrimp knock – 200 dB
Knocking shrimp, also known as gun shrimp or firecracker shrimp, has the scientific name Aipheidae, famous for its shrill sound when attacking. This crustacean has a special pair of pincers that can be used as a “sound gun” that can kill small fish. When targeting prey, the pincer clamps at such a high speed that it creates a bubble under extremely low pressure. Meeting outside water, the bubbles quickly burst, creating a shock wave at a frequency of 200 dB.
The speed of attacking prey of tap shrimp is extremely fast, the time for bubbles to form and burst is less than 0.001 second.
Water bugs – 160 dB
Water bugs have the scientific name Micronecta Scholtzi, this small aquatic animal can make extremely loud sounds. Male water bugs rub their genital area with their abdomen to create a symphony of mate calls with sound levels up to 99bD.
Because water is heavier than air, the speed of sound in these two environments is different. To convert from dB in water to dB in air, about 61 dB must be added, so the sound bed bugs make underwater is about 160 dB.
Bat Noctilio leporinus – 140bB
Scientists have measured the sound of Noctilio leporinus bats when they hunt on lakes in Panama at 140bB. This species of bat emits sounds at such a high frequency that it is classified as 55kHz ultrasound.
Cicadas – 120 dB
Cicadas are considered the noisiest insects in the world. They make shrill noises by rubbing their legs together.
In the 1990s, African cicadas (Brevisana brevis) were the loudest chirping species, with an average of 106.7 dB at a distance of 0.5 meters. This record was later broken by the native cicada Cyclochila Australasiae, which chirped at 120 dB at close range.
Elephant – 103dB
Elephants make loud sounds to call others at a distance. The sound level created by elephants is so loud that their whole body vibrates. Researchers have measured the elephant’s sound at 103dB at a distance of 5m.
