Now, meet the shrimp that makes more noise than a jumbo jet!
March 3rd, 2011 - 6:15 pm ICT by ANILondon, Mar 3 (ANI): Smokey the cat, whose purr was said to be louder than a lawnmower, might get stiff competition from a saltwater shrimp just 4cm long.
By snapping its large claw together, this tiny shrimp is capable of making a noise at least as loud as a whale. Some estimates say that it can hit 200 decibels, reports the Daily Mail.
The pistol shrimp uses its vocal power to stun prey - chiefly small fish and other shrimps.
Two were recently picked up off the Cornish coast and put on show at the Blue Reef aquarium in Newquay.
When the shrimp snaps its claw shut, a jet of water spurts out at a velocity of up to 62 mph causing the pressure around the jet to drop, allowing a naturally occurring air bubble in the water, called a cavitation bubble, to swell.
The bubble generates huge acoustic pressures strong enough to kill small fish. The cracking sound is louder than a gunshot and has been known to interfere with ships’ sonar navigation.
The pistol shrimp may well be the loudest animal in the world but humans are better.
The loudest physical noise a human can make is recorded at 125 decibels. It was a whistle performed by American Marco Ferrera in a recording studio in 2004. (ANI)
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Tags: air bubble, blue reef aquarium, cornish coast, daily mail, decibels, ferrera, gunshot, jumbo jet, lawnmower, loudest animal in the world, newquay, pistol shrimp, purr, recording studio, small fish, stiff competition, tiny shrimp, vocal power, whale, whistle