This Small Fish is Louder Than an Airplane Taking Off:

Meet Danionella cerebrum, a tiny translucent fish from Myanmar’s mountain streams that packs an auditory punch far beyond its size.

Though only about an inch long, this fish can produce sounds exceeding 140 decibels from just 0.4 inches away, according to a study in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

For comparison, that’s the level of noise a human would perceive standing 328 feet from a jet during takeoff, a surprising feat for such a small creature.

The fish uses a specialized apparatus made of drumming cartilage, a rib, and fatigue-resistant muscle to produce these sounds, likely for communication in the murky waters it inhabits.

High-speed videos of the fish reveal how it hits its drumming cartilage against its swim bladder, creating both high and low-frequency pulses.

This unique sound-making ability helps scientists understand how various species evolve specialized adaptations. The Danionella cerebrum’s transparent body also provides an opportunity for further research into how sound production mechanisms vary across species, shedding light on broader evolutionary processes.

Credit: Senckenberg/Britz