Ever Wondered What Sharks Sound Like? Scientists Recorded The First-Known Noises
Sharks have been a part of the ocean ecosystem for millions of years, yet there is still so much we don’t know about them. From their mysterious migrations to surprising behaviors that were only recently discovered, these giant creatures continue to astonish scientists and common people alike. Additionally, since sharks play a vital role in maintaining the marine ecosystems, the more we learn about them, the better we can protect them. In a discovery, a group of scientists from New Zealand has captured sharks making sounds for the first time. This adds an entirely new dimension to our understanding of shark behavior.
The scientists studying marine life came across some unusual clicking sounds made by the rig shark, a species that lives in the coastal waters near New Zealand. In their research, which was published in the journal Royal Society Open Science, the authors claim, “To the best of our knowledge, this study would be the first to show that sharks can produce sounds.” For the in-depth analysis, the experts gathered both male and female rig sharks of different sizes and conducted a study in a rectangular plastic tank. The recorded sounds seemed something like an electric spark.
The sounds were extremely loud, reaching over 155 decibels—almost as loud as a shotgun. Around 70% of the noises happened when the shark moved slowly from one side to another, 25% came with strong head or body thrashes, and the remaining were heard while the shark stayed still. One of the lead authors of the study and an experienced researcher at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Carolin Nieder, also spoke about the findings and said, “Sharks have sensory systems that are more refined than their hearing, like their electroreceptors, their smell, and the way they propel themselves through the water."
As reported by Smithsonian Magazine, she added, “But I think the original notion that we had that sound isn’t important at all is also likely not true.” In 2021, while she was working on her PhD at the University of Auckland, Nieder first discovered that rig sharks made chirping sounds whenever she handled them during lab tests. She said, “I remember coming home and just thinking more and more about how weird those sounds were.” However, one point to be noted is that the sounds that these sharks made were too high for them to hear. This indicates that they probably weren’t using the noises to talk to each other.
The team of scientists claimed that the rig sharks created the sounds by snapping their teeth, but there is little information about why they made these sounds. Adrian Gutteridge, a shark biologist, said, “It’s too early to tell whether it’s a response, kind of saying, ‘go away,’ or if [it’s] just their nervous system is firing off, which just happens to make their teeth and jaws click.” Meanwhile, sharks were previously considered quiet creatures since they don’t have swim bladders, the air sacs that many fish use to make noises. Detailed scans of rig sharks also showed no clear organs or body parts that could be responsible for producing the sound.
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