Sharks have a good reputation in being silent killers – the main animals in the oceans are hidden fishermen, but they also lack sound production organs in many other fish. Now, a new innovative study revealed that a type of shark could be more bustle than previously thought, which led to the production of sounds similar to the balloon explosion.
For the first time, scientists recorded evidence of the Cat-De-Care-Mustelus Reneticulaus-producing a sound by hitting their teeth, according to Tuesday (25) scanning in the magazine The royal society is open science.
“Since sharks maintain social groups or have been communicated mainly shark. Hammerschlag did not participate in the search. “This study opens a completely new possibility to communicate with sound.”
Cation-De-Care, a small type that inhabits the coastal waters of New Zealand, usually lives near seabed It plays a major role in the commercial fishing industry in the region. Unlike most fish -based fish for swimming – a gas -filled organ that helps fish to keep their floating and production and discovering sound – sharks do not contain this feature, which makes sound production apparently unlikely.
The main author of the study, Caroline Nidar, began interested in the vocal capabilities of sharks after hearing an unexpected click during behavioral training experiences while doing a doctorate at Oakland University in 2021. Nidar is currently a doctorate researcher at T. Araan Moonneyy at the Woods Holgography or Ocean Institute in the same.
Although I could not investigate the mysterious click at the time, the attention remained. Now, Nider and his team reported great discoveries to study with 10 Katen Male events and five females on the coast of New Zealand.
Scientists maintained sharks in large marine laboratory tanks, with sufficient sea water and food conditions, from May 2021 to April 2022.
To record any chest sounds carefully, the team transferred sharks to the individual tanks equipped with Subacket or Hydrophones. When sharks were moved between tanks or the insured, they started making clicking sounds, similar to those that NIEDER noticed years ago.
Each click was very short, and it continued on average 48 milliliters, faster than the human eyes.
The researchers also identified the clicks as the wide range, which means that they occurred in a wide range of frequencies from 2.4 to 18.5 kgz – some of which can be detected by humans, according to the study.
In terms of size, the clicks were intense, reaching about 156 decibels.
The study noted that most of the clicks occurred in the first 10 seconds of manipulation, and became less frequent over time. During the first ten seconds, sharks on average released seven clicks compared to the last ten seconds with only two clicks.
“The animals are accustomed to the daily trial protocol, they completely stopped clicking, as if they were used in captivity and experimental routine,” Nidar said via e -mail. “This prompted us to think that we may monitor the behavior of sound production instead of a strange artifact.”
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The team also indicated that about 70 % of the clicks occurred when the shark slowly shook side by side, while about 25 % of the clicks occurred when the shark displayed explosive movements, the head or body swings. Only 5 % of the movements occurred when the shark was not clearly moving his body, according to the study.
With the absence of members specialized in proper production found in sharks, researchers are confident that the clicks come from their strong and interconnected teeth that strike each other.
These teeth in the form of a plate, designed to crush prey as crustaceans, may be responsible for producing the distinctive click sound, similar to the sounds made by some fish their teeth when grinding.
Nidar said that the consistent standard and the frequency of clicks also indicate that the sounds are intended instead of accidental.
Researchers are still trying to investigate the exact reason for sharing these voices. One of the possibilities is that the clicks are a sign of pain, which can be a reaction to dealing during the experiment.
Most of the clicks were outside the hearing band in the same losses, which extends to about 800 hertz, according to the study. The researchers wrote that sharks do not use their vocal capabilities to communicate with each other, as clicks may be a warning sign or a form of aggression about prey or in dangerous situations.
With more than 500 types of sharks around the world, it is still unclear whether other sharks are involved in this ability to produce sound.
“I think there is an opportunity for other sharks to make similar voices,” Nidar said. “These documents can help us start listening to sharks, and we may know more interesting things about the environment and their lifestyle in various environmental outlets.”
In addition, since the sounds were recorded in a censorship laboratory environment, researchers are eager to see if the cats that produce these noise in nature and in any circumstances.
“This study opens the possibility of these smaller sharks” that appear at the warning, “said Hamerslag via e -mail, in reference to how smaller sharks dispersed in the presence of large sharks, even if they are far from view.
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