Sometimes predators give you an indication that they are sneaking up on you. It could the snapping of a twig behind you, or a low growl from the bushes. However, in California it is a different sound. A mysterious clicking sound has been detected thousands of feet below the Pacific ocean and it has an interesting source. Which apex predator is lurking beneath the deep blue waves?
Elusive Apex Predator Reveals Itself Through Mysterious Clicking Sound
Shutterstock photo by Martin Prochazkacz
The giant sperm whale is an endangered species, and not one that most people get to encounter. This massive creature spends most of its time diving deep within the ocean, but even far beneath the surface it can be heard. Daily Mail UK shares that the "giant sperm whale is the loudest animal on the planet." Fascinating right? I think so often we don't think of these animals as making any noise because they are not something we often encounter.
However, the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute has been encountering this apex predator more than they thought. They imbedded a hydrophone on the bottom of the seafloor and have been taking audio recordings for years. During the past seven years, they have "captured a series of staccato-like sounds that began slowly and then accelerated into a continuous streak." While some claimed it was a mysterious clicking sound, others equated it to the "hum of television static."
After careful dissection of the data, the scientists concluded the sound was from a sperm whale. However, it wasn't just the sound of one sperm whale. Instead, it was "several sperm whales hunting together in the area." The mysterious clicking sound was the whales using their echolocation to communicate.
The Giant Sperm Whale Apex Predator And Loudest Animal On Earth
Shutterstock photo by Martin Prochazkacz
While you may be thinking, "I've never head a giant sperm whale?" I assure you they are quite loud. The Daily Mail shared that "sperm whales are known to produce the loudest biological sound on Earth — reaching up to 200 decibels." They use these powerful, mysterious clicking sounds to hunt in the pitch-dark ocean where they dwell.
Luckily, the loudest sound on Earth isn't too prolonged. "Each click is a fraction of a second." That's a relief, can you imagine if the loudest sound on Earth lasted hours? While it may not seem exciting to you or me, scientists are enthralled with this new data. Will Oestreich, a postdoctoral member at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute shared his excitement.
"It's a really cool tool for us researchers, because they're telling us things about their own lives. They're a top apex predator —tigers of the deep sea — and their behavior reflects a food web that's difficult for us to study." The data from the mysterious clicking sounds not only shows that these whales visit Monterey Bay more frequently than previously thought, but it also allows researchers to track individual whales.
Furthermore, researchers can detect codas, or unique sound patterns that can help distinguish between different social groups of the whales. Oestreich continues, "These are the largest-toothed predators on the planet. They've been here all this time, and we just didn't realize it."
