The ocean isn’t quiet—many fish communicate using sounds such as hums, grunts, clicks, and even noises created by releasing gas. Scientists are increasingly discovering that acoustic communication among fish is widespread and complex.
1. Fish make a surprising variety of sounds
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Fish produce noises described as “boops,” hums, grunts, croaks, and clicks.
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They create these sounds in several ways:
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Vibrating their swim bladders
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Rubbing bones or body parts together
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Releasing gas (in some species, this produces audible clicks).
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2. Many species likely “talk”
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Scientists estimate hundreds to over a thousand species produce sounds, though only a fraction have been studied.
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Sound communication may occur in a large proportion of fish families.
3. What fish communicate about
Fish sounds are used to:
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Attract mates
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Defend territory
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Warn about predators
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Coordinate movements in groups
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Signal the location of food.
4. “Fish farts” are real
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Some fish, like herring, produce rapid clicking sounds by expelling gas from their swim bladders.
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These noises may help schools stay together or communicate at night.
5. Scientists are building sound libraries
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Projects such as the FishSounds database collect recordings of fish noises to help identify species and study ecosystems.
6. Why it matters
Understanding fish sounds helps researchers:
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Monitor fish populations
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Track ecosystem health
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Study the impact of human noise pollution in oceans.
✅ Bottom line: The underwater world is full of communication we can’t usually hear—fish use a wide range of sounds to interact, and scientists are only beginning to understand this hidden acoustic “language.”
Read More About it at the BBC: https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20240418-boops-hums-and-farts-the-mysterious-world-of-fish-communication