Skunks recorded making sounds for the first time (VIDEO)
The scientists were surprised
Until now, scientists thought that sleds were silent creatures, but new research has identified at least two different species of sleds that produce sounds. This lucky discovery is due to videos that surfaced and surprised marine biologists.
The fact that we only now realized that this very common species makes sounds shows how little we still know about the oceans. We now have multiple recordings and observations of two species making sounds in their natural environment. – Lachlan Fetterplace, University of Agricultural Sciences, Sweden
About 990 fish are known to produce sounds, but species such as rays, sharks and swordfish are known to be silent. Two skates of the species Urogymnus granulatus and one Pastinachus ater were recorded by divers making short, sharp click-like sounds, which are probably warnings or a defensive signal. In fact, the tone of the click changes as they move.
Scientists believe that skates and their predators can hear these clicks, which range between 40 and 1,500 Hz. During the observations, the sounds started as the divers approached the dinghies and stopped as soon as the diver or the dinghy moved away.
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But how is the sound produced by the relatively simple body of the sledgehammer? Scientists believe it is produced similar to the way people tap their fingers or make sounds with their tongues.
We can’t be sure how the loons produce the sounds, but it seems to involve a rapid movement of the head or jaw and an opening behind the eyes that serves for breathing.
Sleds are quite difficult to study because they are very agile and avoid humans. Despite the challenges, researchers will pursue more observations of the 1,200 known species of elasmobranchs.
The research was published in Ecology .
