What is the loudest animal in the world?
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.
It’s also between Hertz and decibels as measuring units. Hertz measures sound frequency, while decibels measure sound pressure, or perceived loudness. Sound frequency is determined by the way sound waves oscillate when they travel to our ears.
High-frequency sounds can be squeaky or high-pitched, sometimes uncomfortable noises like screaming, whistles, nails on a chalkboard or glass breaking, according to Attune. But the loudness, or amount of energy in noise, is measured by decibels.
According to BBC, the sperm whale is perceived to be louder than the blue whale. A blue whale’s call is 20 Hz and a sperm whale’s click is about 10,000 Hz. The sperm whale registers at 230 dB while the blue whale is at 188 dB.
But the other factor is duration — a sperm whale’s click only lasts 100 microseconds while a blue whale call can last up to 30 seconds, BBC reports. Sound is also perceived differently underwater because water is denser than air. It travels faster and further in the water.
So the sperm whale is technically louder, but if you perceive sound based on combined loudness and duration, the blue whale is a close contender.
What is the loudest land animal in the world?
The loudest land animal is the bulldog bat, whose sound registers at 140 dB. According to Cochlea.org, that’s outside of the threshold the human ear can hear.
Bulldog bats are native to Central and South America and are named after their similarities to bulldogs: full lips and a flat, square muzzle.
How loud is a dog bark?
An average dog bark is between 80-90 dB, Industrial Safety & Hygiene News reports. But kennel owners beware: a chorus of barking dogs can reach up to 115 dB. This falls just below the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s threshold of noise that can cause immediate harm to ears at 120 dB.
According to the Guinness World Records, the loudest dog bark measured at about 113 dB. The dog, a golden retriever named Charlie, called the record-breaking bark at the Purina Bark in the Park event in Australia in 2012.
