Science

Animals' Most Amazing Acoustic Feats

From deafening monkey howls to snapping crustacean claws, animals use powerful sounds to do everything from claim territory to stun prey. In this gallery, we have collected some of the best, and look at the physics that produce them.
  • Roaring lion
  • Two blue whales
  • Pistol shrimp
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Martin Pannier / i:AM. photograp
roaring-lion
From deafening monkey howls to snapping crustacean claws, animals use powerful sounds to do everything from claim territory to stun prey. "There’s such an enormous range of abilities and loudness in animals, it's very easy to get swept up by it all. I just love this stuff," said bioacoustician Christopher Clark of Cornell University. While every animal sound is amazing in its own right, the result of millions of years of evolution, Clark and other researchers have a few favorites. In this gallery we review the best, and look at the physics that produce them.

Lions

While not one of the loudest animals on the Earth, lions' 115-decibel calls travel as far as five miles across the Serengeti. Listen: Roar of a lion <audio controls=""><source src="http://stag-komodo.wired.com/images_blogs/wiredscience/2011/05/lion-roar-san-diego-zoo.ogg" type="audio/ogg"></source><source src="http://stag-komodo.wired.com/images_blogs/wiredscience/2011/05/lion-roar-san-diego-zoo.mp3" type="audio/mp3"></source>[dewplayer:http://stag-komodo.wired.com/images_blogs/wiredscience/2011/05/lion-roar-san-diego-zoo.mp3]</audio> Image: iam_photography/Flickr Sound: San Diego Zoo

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