Loudest Animals in the World: Whales, Howlers and Shrimp

Why decibels in water and air are not the same

The decibel scale is logarithmic. Every 10 dB step means ten times more sound energy, so a 120 dB sound carries a thousand times more energy than a 90 dB sound. Scientists usually report how loud an animal is at a standard distance of 1 m (3 ft), because sound fades quickly as it spreads out.

Underwater sound is measured against a reference pressure of 1 micropascal (µPa), while sound in air uses 20 µPa. Water is also much denser than air, so the same pressure carries far less energy. To compare the energy of a sound in water with one in air, acousticians subtract roughly 62 dB from the underwater figure. A sperm whale’s 236 dB click therefore equals about 174 dB in air terms: still louder than any land animal, but not the “louder than a rocket launch” that headlines suggest.

1. Sperm whale: up to 236 dB underwater

The sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus) makes the loudest sounds of any animal. It forces air through a pair of structures in its nose called phonic lips, and its huge, oil-filled head focuses the sound into a narrow forward beam. In a 2003 study off northern Norway, clicks from male sperm whales reached source levels of up to 236 dB (re 1 µPa at 1 m).

Sperm whales use these clicks as sonar to find squid in the darkness hundreds of meters below the surface. They also exchange short patterns of clicks called codas, which differ between family groups and act a little like local dialects.

2. Blue whale: about 188 dB of deep rumbling

The blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus), the largest animal ever known, produces long, very low moans at up to about 188 dB. Their main frequencies, roughly 8–25 hertz, are at or below the lowest pitch human ears can detect. Low-frequency sound loses little energy in seawater, so blue whale calls can be picked up by underwater microphones hundreds of kilometers away. Fin whales make similar deep, powerful pulses.

3. Snapping shrimp: a bubble that bangs

Snapping shrimp, also called pistol shrimp (family Alpheidae), are only a few centimeters long, yet they rival whales for noise. One claw is greatly enlarged. When it snaps shut, it shoots out a jet of water at about 25 m per second (90 km/h; 56 mph), which creates a low-pressure bubble. The bubble collapses with a sharp crack measured at about 185–190 dB (re 1 µPa at 1 m), loud enough to stun small prey.

As it collapses, the bubble gives off a tiny flash of light, and the gas inside briefly reaches an estimated 4,700 °C (8,500 °F). Dense colonies of snapping shrimp crackle like frying fat and can interfere with sonar. Mantis shrimp use the same bubble trick when they strike, as explained in How hard does a mantis shrimp punch?

4. Greater bulldog bat: about 137–140 dB, too high to hear

The loudest sounds measured in air come from bats. In a 2008 study in Panama, two fishing bats of the genus Noctilio, including the greater bulldog bat (Noctilio leporinus), averaged about 137 dB, with peaks above 140 dB, the loudest calls recorded for any bat. These levels were measured 10 cm (4 in) from the bat’s mouth, so at the usual 1 m (3 ft) they would be roughly 20 dB lower.

People never notice this racket because the calls are ultrasonic, far above the range of human hearing. The greater bulldog bat flies low over rivers, lakes and mangroves in Central and South America and the Caribbean, using powerful echolocation to detect ripples made by fish, which it snatches with its long claws.

5. White bellbird: 125 dB, the loudest bird

The white bellbird (Procnias albus) lives in the mountain forests of the northern Amazon. The male is pure white, with a long, fleshy wattle dangling from his beak. In 2019, scientists recorded male songs of up to about 125 dB at 1 m (3 ft), roughly 9 dB louder than the previous bird record holder, the screaming piha (Lipaugus vociferans), at about 116 dB.

Oddly, males save their loudest notes for moments when a female perches right beside them. Researchers do not yet know how females avoid damage to their hearing, or why such extreme volume pays off.

6. Howler monkeys: heard several kilometers away

Howler monkeys (genus Alouatta) of Central and South America are often called the loudest land animals in the Americas. Males have an enlarged, hollow hyoid bone in the throat that works as a resonating chamber, turning their roars into deep, booming howls. Groups howl mostly at dawn to tell neighbors where they are, which helps them avoid fights over feeding trees.

Howls carry through dense rainforest for several kilometers, with estimates usually between about 2 and 5 km (1–3 mi). A 2015 study found that howler species with larger vocal organs tend to have smaller testes, a trade-off between attracting mates with sound and competing through mating.

7. Lion: a roar heard up to 8 km (5 mi) away

The lion has the most far-reaching roar of any big cat. On a still night, a full roar can be heard up to about 8 km (5 mi) away. Lions roar to mark their territory, warn rival males and keep in touch with pride members that have spread out. The square, flat vocal folds in a lion’s larynx let it produce loud, low sounds without much effort. For more, read Why do lions roar?

8. Cicadas: the loudest insects

Male cicadas “sing” by rapidly buckling drum-like plates called tymbals on the sides of the body, while a largely hollow abdomen amplifies the sound. Some species produce sounds of more than 100 dB at close range. The African shrill thorntree cicada (Brevisana brevis) has been recorded at 106.7 dB from 50 cm (20 in), likely the loudest insect on record, and Australia’s greengrocer cicada is among the loudest too.

In the eastern United States, periodical cicadas emerge in vast broods, and the combined chorus of millions of males can drown out conversation in suburban streets. To find out how they do it, read Why are cicadas so loud?

9. Lesser water boatman: the loudest for its size

The lesser water boatman Micronecta scholtzi is a European pond insect only about 2 mm long. Males attract females by rubbing a ridge on the penis against the abdomen, and researchers recorded songs of up to 99.2 dB. That is astonishing for such a tiny animal, and it is often called the loudest animal relative to body size. Because the song is produced underwater, almost all of its energy is lost at the water’s surface, yet it can still be heard by people walking along the shore.

Other famously loud animals

The Eurasian bittern, a secretive heron of European reedbeds, gives a deep, foghorn-like boom in spring that can be heard about 5 km (3 mi) away on a calm night. Elephants communicate with rumbles partly below human hearing, and gibbons, hyenas and some frogs also call loudly enough to carry over long distances. For many of these animals, careful sound measurements are still missing.

Loudest animals at a glance

Remember that water and air figures, and figures measured at different distances, cannot simply be ranked against each other. The sperm whale is the clear overall winner, but the title of “loudest land animal” depends on whether you count sounds that people can actually hear.