by Scientists have recorded the New Zealand -in the first documented case of active sound production through Haispezie’s noises.
So far it is known that over a thousand fish species produces noise in several contexts, e.g. B. the pairing and defense against predators.
While cartilaginous fish such as sharks and rays are known that it sounds for communication, persecution of prey and for safe movement under water, they are not known to voluntarily produce noises.
A 2022 study showed for the first time that a Stingray -like clicks produced when he is addressed by a diver.
Now a new study has shown that rig sharks of researchers deliberately create short, sharp clicks of relatively high lace frequencies.
The records, published in a new study in the journal Royal Society Open ScienceNote that the noises are generated by these small sharks that grab their flattened teeth.
The rig sharks grow over a length of about 150 cm and are endemic in flat river blazes in New Zealand.
They mainly feed on crabs and other small crustaceans and are hunted by larger sharks.
Scientists suspect that these little sharks produce these noises in response to disturbance or need.
In the study, the researchers evaluated records that were recorded by 10 rig sharks when they were handled under water in tanks at the Leigh Marine Laboratory in New Zealand.
“During this short handling time, opportunistic were observed to produce click noises under water,” said the scientists.
They examined the number of clicks that the sharks generated in every 10-second interval of the recording.
On average, the sharks produced 9 clicks every 20 seconds, with most of the noises together with body movements such as the change from right to left, the researchers found, and indicated that they were probably a “frightening reaction”.
“About 25 percent of the clicks, which are summarized with an explosive fluctuations (strong bending from the head and body from side to side), about 70 percent with calm circulation (slowly from side to side) and 5 percent of the clicks occurred, in the absence of obvious body movements,” the scientists noticed.
“According to our best knowledge, this study would be the first to show that sharks can produce noises,” they wrote.
However, researchers are calling for further studies to confirm the mechanism and to determine the other use and the biological meaning of the sound.
It also remains unclear whether the rigs can feel their own clicks.
“Further behavioral observations are required to test this hypothesis and to check whether rigs generate clicks under natural conditions without human interventions,” concluded the scientists.
