Published on: 2026-06-27
Sound Noise and Music Curiosities
Which of these animals emits the loudest sound relative to its tiny body size?
Correct
The water boatman is a tiny insect that creates sound by rubbing its penis against its abdomen in a process called stridulation. This produces a surprisingly loud chirp reaching up to 99 decibels, which is like sitting in the front row of a loud orchestra from a bug barely the size of a coffee bean. The blue whale is definitely loud, but it is massive, so its sound output is expected for its scale. Howling monkeys are impressively loud land animals, but they are giants compared to our insect friend. African elephants use their trunks for booming calls, but they depend on sheer organ size, failing to achieve the insane volume-to-size ratio held by the aquatic bug.