Not only can baleen whales emit calls that travel farther than any other voice in the animal kingdom, these giants of the deep also create the loudest vocalisations of any creature on earth: the call of a blue whale can reach 180 decibels – as loud as a jet plane, a world record.
1. Whales: 230db. Whales are known for their songs. The blue whale, the largest animal on earth, can produce loud whistling calls that reach up to 188 db.
Blue whales make an extremely loud whistling call to each other. These noises are known as sirens and these can reach up to 188 dB which is louder than a jet engine or a grenade explosion. Sound carries further under water, so the whales can be heard up to 800km away.
The sperm whale is technically the loudest animal in the world, but the answer is up for debate because how we perceive loudness is subjective. Do you measure the loudest animal by the decibels they register or by the impact of the sound itself? The dispute comes down to two animals: the blue whale and the sperm whale.
The loudest animal sound ever measured in decibels is the sperm whale (230 dB). However, the loudest animal ever to be recorded is the lesser water boatman.
Sounds between 170-200 dB are so intense that they can cause lethal issues like pulmonary embolisms, pulmonary contusions, or even burst lungs. As for exploding heads, you can expect that from sounds above 240 dB. However, such high intensity sounds are very rare.
The sound they make, of course, sounds like (but is louder than) a pistol firing. Sperm whale generates sound with their nose which are repeated patterns of clicks. This sound is the highest SPL ever measured from any animal at a whopping 233 dB SPL! Under water, however, the sound is only about 130 dB SPL.
Once you go past 85dB, you are on the clock. Here is a short list of common noises and their decibel levels: Aircraft at take-off (180) Fireworks (140)
Average Decibel Level of Human Speech
A whisper is between 20-30 dB. On the other hand, a human scream can reach decibel levels between 80 and 125 dB.
120 – 140 decibels: Such as, a rock concert, auto racing, or a hammer pounding a nail. 125 – 155 decibels: Like, firecrackers or fireworks, or a jet engine. 170 – 190 decibels: For example, a shot gun blast or a rocket lift off.
Not only can baleen whales emit calls that travel farther than any other voice in the animal kingdom, these giants of the deep also create the loudest vocalisations of any creature on earth: the call of a blue whale can reach 180 decibels – as loud as a jet plane, a world record.
The title for loudest animal on Earth is typically awarded to the blue whale, according to BBC. Though blue whales still hold the title for largest animal, the 188 decibels of their calls have been trumped by another aquatic mammal: the sperm whale, which can emit a click that soars to 230 decibels.
"The Bloop" is the given name of a mysterious underwater sound recorded in the 90s. Years later, NOAA scientists discovered that this sound emanated from an iceberg cracking and breaking away from an Antarctic glacier. Shown here: a NASA Landsat mosaic image of Antarctica.
Whales make noise to communicate, locate food, and find each other. A humpback whale in the singing position. Whales are very social creatures that travel in groups called “pods.” They use a variety of noises to communicate and socialize with each other.
What is this? To sum everything up, whales do not cry in the way humans are familiar with because whales lack the tear ducts necessary for crying, and while they possess tear glands, these glands are used to secrete a greasy liquid to keep their eyes clean and free from debris.
The effective distance of a 100 dB(A) sounder in a very noisy environment is 1.8m, the distance for a 120 dB(A) sounder is approx 18m (10 times the distance). Note: Alarm sounders that are too loud may be dangerous and cause panic, discomfort and make communication very difficult.
No, because: 1) it's not possible to create sound beyond a 194 decibel limit. Anything louder is more accurately explosion, not sound.
A 220 dB sound is quite strong. As an example, its intensity (in W/solid angle) is 14 orders of magnitude (AKA 100 billion times) highter than the 80 dB people usualy use as a safety limit. Saying "quite strong" here is like saying a thermonuclear explosion is "warm".
It's a ridiculously loud "sound". It's not possible as a continuous sound in air because the maximum overpressure is double atmospheric, with the troughs a vacuum, which works out at 194 decibels.
At 194 dB, the energy in the sound waves starts distorting and they create a complete vacuum between themselves. The sound is no longer moving through the air, but is in fact pushing the air along with it, forming a pressurized wall of moving air.
Noise above 70 dB over a prolonged period of time may start to damage your hearing. Loud noise above 120 dB can cause immediate harm to your ears. The table below shows dB levels and how noise from everyday sources can affect your hearing. Sounds at these dB levels typically don't cause any hearing damage.
One of the most surprising cat facts is that cats can actually make almost 100 different sounds. From the peeps of kittens to the meows of adults, cats have a wide range of vocalizations.