A new study has revealed that a tiny species of fish, measuring no more than half an inch (approximately 1.3 centimeters), is capable of producing sounds exceeding those made by elephants. The small, transparent Danionella cerebrum, which lives in shallow waters off Myanmar, can emit sounds over 140 decibels, according to an international team of scientists. Ralph Britz, the study's author and a fish scientist at the Senckenberg Natural History Museum in Germany, stated, "Its sound is similar to the noise experienced by a person during an airplane takeoff from a distance of one hundred meters, which is unusual for an animal of this small size."
Larger animals tend to produce louder sounds than smaller ones; for example, elephants can make sounds reaching up to 125 decibels using their trunks. However, some small animals can create incredibly loud sounds given their size, such as shrimp, which use their claws to produce popping sounds of up to 250 decibels. Additionally, some fish species also produce unusually loud sounds, like the male plainfin midshipman fish, which can emit a mating call of up to 130 decibels.
Danionella cerebrum appears to be unique compared to other fish. Researchers used high-speed video recordings, detailed CT scans, and genetic analysis to determine that males of this species "have a unique sound-generating system that includes a specialized tympanic cartilage, a specialized rib, and fatigue-resistant muscles." These fish generate noise by striking the cartilage against their swim bladder, an air-filled organ that allows them to dive in the water, resulting in rapid pulsations.
The fish produced higher frequency pulses by alternating pressure on the swim bladder from the left and right sides, and lower frequency pulses using repeated one-sided presses on the same side of the body.
