While much is known about these apex predators, we still have much to learn. For example, when thinking of a shark I am sure you can tell me a lot of different things. We all know what a shark looks like. We have these visions of massive bodies, and immense jaws filled with row after row of sharp teeth. However, what do sharks sound like? Until now not many people had an answer for that question.
Scientists Discover What Sharks Sound Like
Hey I get it. Most people are not getting close enough to a shark to see what sort of noises it makes. Also those who do come into close contact with it are usually being attacked by one and the last thing on their mind is, "Oh let me stop screaming so I can hear if the shark is making any sounds."
Nevertheless, scientists have been hard at work to determine if these creatures make noise, and if they do what these sharks sound like. Now, they may have finally gotten their answer. A study in the Royal Society Open Science journal details new findings in regards to shark noises. While they were previously thought to be silent creatures, this study reveals that that is not entirely true.
Head author Carolin Nieder, who is a marine biologist at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Massachusetts, admitted that she was very surprised by the discovery. The NY Post shares that she "inadvertently discovered this great-white noise in 2021 while researching the hearing capabilities of the rig shark."
From there the research began.
What They Found
When handling the shark, Nieder heard the sound. She described it as a snapping sound, or something similar to an electrical spark sound. To build upon this observation, "the scientist and her team observed the behavior of 10 sharks in a tank outfitted with underwater microphones."
In that tank they noticed similar patterns. All of the sharks would produce the same clicking sound any time they were being handled or transferred between tanks. While scientists are amazed to find out that sharks do make sounds, they do not believe these sounds are used for communication.
That is because the sharks emitted no sound when swimming or feeding. Rather just when they were being handled. Due to that fact, scientists hypothesize that this sound is more of a startle response. However, they want to conduct more research to see if they yield these same results in the wild.
Now we know what sharks sound like in captivity, but what do they sound like in the wild?
