“Silent Predators No More: The Shocking Sounds of Sharks Revealed!”
All 10 of the rig sharks in the experiment made these clicking noises upon being handled, although their frequency decreased with further handling, indicating that the noises may have been distress calls that abated once the sharks became more comfortable with the humans and less fearful.
According to Nieder, these calls may be made by adult rig sharks when they think they are in danger, serving as a warning to nearby juvenile sharks to make a quick escape.
However, researchers have also noted that the frequency of the clicking sounds falls outside of the detectable limit for sharks. So if sharks can’t even hear the sounds they’re making, then it’s more likely that the clicking sounds are not to warn other rig sharks, but instead meant to scare off the animals that hunt them.
Regardless, the pattern and frequency of the clicks strongly indicate that they are intentional.
“As the animals got used to the daily experimental protocol, they then stopped making the clicks altogether, as if they got used to being in captivity and the experimental routine,” Nieder told CNN. “This led us to consider that maybe we are observing a sound making behavior rather than a strange artifact.”
However, one question remained: How were the sharks making these sounds?
How Are Rig Sharks Producing These Noises?
NIWAScientists have just changed their answer to the question “do sharks make noises” after recording sounds made by rig sharks like this one.
For years, the scientific community believed that it was simply a proven fact about sharks that they were mute. Unlike other fish species, they do not possess a swim bladder, a gas-filled organ that keeps fish buoyant and produces vocalizations.
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