# Anything Exciting in the Sub/Supersonic Sounds? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 13, 2008, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anything-exciting-in-the-sub-supersonic-sounds/441307 "2008-03-13T23:46:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2008, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anything-exciting-in-the-sub-supersonic-sounds/441307/1 "2008-03-13T23:46:20Z")
Many years ago, I read a pretty bad science fiction story, about an inventor who developed a device to make supersonic sounds audible to humans. The guy went crazy when he found that trees and plants screamed when they were cut down. Anyway, do any animals emit sounds in the subsonic (below 30 Hz) or supersonic (above about 16,000 Hz) regions? Building a circuit to do this ought to be pretty simple-has anyone discovered anything interesting in these frequency regions? ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2008, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anything-exciting-in-the-sub-supersonic-sounds/441307/2 "2008-03-13T23:50:28Z")
[QUOTE=ralph124c] Anyway, do any animals emit sounds in the subsonic (below 30 Hz) or supersonic (above about 16,000 Hz) regions? [/QUOTE] African elephants are believed to communicate with sounds at the ~15 Hz range IIRC. Edit: Ah, [here’s something](http://www.elephantvoices.org/index.php?topic=how_comm). ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2008, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anything-exciting-in-the-sub-supersonic-sounds/441307/3 "2008-03-14T01:34:23Z")
[http://www.interspecies.com/pages/whale%20language.html](http://www.interspecies.com/pages/whale%20language.html) Beluga whales are capable of sounds well outside both ends of the human hearing spectrum. > [@](#): > > To begin the process, Interspecies needs first to produce an oceanic expedition to gather a new technical level of field recordings to document the entire beluga whale sonic range of 5 Hz to 160 kHz. To place this wide-spectrum into perspective, realize that until just the past year, most behavioral research of whale communication relied on audio data limited to the human audible spectrum of 20 Hz to 20 kHz. In other words, acoustic researchers were basing their conclusions by examining only 12% of the whale’s known frequency range. ---
**Author:** ![John\_H\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9bcb4/32.png) [@John\_H\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_H_1)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2008, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anything-exciting-in-the-sub-supersonic-sounds/441307/4 "2008-03-14T01:56:11Z")
It seems that rats laugh at ultrasonic frequencies. > **[BBC News | SCI/TECH | Rats 'like a laugh'](http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/85711.stm)** > > Giggling, ticklish rats have provided scientists with the first credible evidence that animals unrelated to humans can laugh. ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2008, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anything-exciting-in-the-sub-supersonic-sounds/441307/5 "2008-03-14T01:58:09Z")
Bats echolocate with ultrasonic frequencies. Interesting? Nah. ---
**Author:** ![Una\_Persson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/una_persson/32/346_2.png) [@Una\_Persson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Una_Persson)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2008, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anything-exciting-in-the-sub-supersonic-sounds/441307/6 "2008-03-14T02:03:03Z")
Mice sort of sing at ultrasonic frequencies as well. > **[BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | Male mouse sings a song of love](http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/4395664.stm)** > > Male mice serenade potential mates with ultrasonic love songs, scientific research from the US has revealed. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2008, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anything-exciting-in-the-sub-supersonic-sounds/441307/7 "2008-03-14T05:42:26Z")
[QUOTE=Una Persson] Mice sort of sing at ultrasonic frequencies as well. > **[BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | Male mouse sings a song of love](http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/4395664.stm)** > > Male mice serenade potential mates with ultrasonic love songs, scientific research from the US has revealed. [/QUOTE] Leading to what was, hands down, the funniest moment ever on _Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me_. ---
**Author:** ![WF\_Tomba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/d9b06d/32.png) [@WF\_Tomba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WF_Tomba)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2008, 5:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anything-exciting-in-the-sub-supersonic-sounds/441307/8 "2008-03-14T05:58:33Z")
That short story, by the way, was by Roald Dahl, and if I remember right, he didn’t exactly go crazy–he destroyed the machine after a tree tried to kill him. ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2008, 8:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anything-exciting-in-the-sub-supersonic-sounds/441307/9 "2008-03-14T08:05:38Z")
[QUOTE=KneadToKnow] Leading to what was, hands down, the funniest moment ever on _Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me_. [/QUOTE] All right, spill it. ---
**Author:** ![puppygod](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@puppygod](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puppygod)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2008, 10:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anything-exciting-in-the-sub-supersonic-sounds/441307/10 "2008-03-14T10:17:41Z")
First, nitpick. “Supersonic” usually is used to describe speeds higher than speed of sound - not sounds of frequency higher than humans are capable to hear. Proper term is ultrasounds. And “subsonic” means slower than speed of sound. Infrasound is sound of frequency lower than humans can hear. Now, nitpicking done, I have played with [bat detectors](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bat_detector) in the past. There is a lot of animals (mostly small) and things (like squeaking of folding paper) around. Lots of fun. Fortunately, we can’t hear them. Fortunately, because bats can be really loud, and we would have trouble sleeping with all that screaming around. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2008, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anything-exciting-in-the-sub-supersonic-sounds/441307/11 "2008-03-14T14:51:12Z")
[QUOTE=Beware of Doug] All right, spill it. [/QUOTE] [Consider it spilt](http://www.npr.org/programs/waitwait/archrndwn/2005/nov/051105.waitwait.html) Warning to sensitive listeners: this episode features Mo Rocca doing his usual stammering hand-grenade-lobbing answer shtick. (The bit in question occurs during the “Opening Panel Round” if you don’t want to listen to the whole thing.) ---
**Author:** ![Si\_Amigo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/si_amigo/32/2877_2.png) [@Si\_Amigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Si_Amigo)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2008, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anything-exciting-in-the-sub-supersonic-sounds/441307/12 "2008-03-14T15:42:44Z")
[QUOTE=puppygod] There is a lot of animals (mostly small) and things (like squeaking of folding paper) around. Lots of fun. Fortunately, we can’t hear them. Fortunately, because bats can be really loud, and we would have trouble sleeping with all that screaming around. [/QUOTE] And let’s not forget about all those butterflies screaming and that annoying sound of the grass growing. It’s a jungle out there people, thank Og our spectrum of audible sound is limited. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![puppygod](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@puppygod](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puppygod)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2008, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anything-exciting-in-the-sub-supersonic-sounds/441307/13 "2008-03-14T17:54:58Z")
[QUOTE=Si Amigo] And let’s not forget about all those butterflies screaming and that annoying sound of the grass growing. It’s a jungle out there people, thank Og our spectrum of audible sound is limited. 😃 [/QUOTE] Well, there [are squeaking moths](http://www.habitas.org.uk/moths/species.asp?item=6064), but they are rather quiet. Now bats are another story. In seeking mode they can crank up to 100 dB from their little muzzles. So much for the quiet evening at the park. ---
**Author:** ![user\_hostile](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/user_hostile/32/474_2.png) [@user\_hostile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/user_hostile)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2008, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anything-exciting-in-the-sub-supersonic-sounds/441307/14 "2008-03-14T21:12:19Z")
[QUOTE=puppygod] First, nitpick. “Supersonic” usually is used to describe speeds higher than speed of sound - not sounds of frequency higher than humans are capable to hear. Proper term is ultrasounds. And “subsonic” means slower than speed of sound. Infrasound is sound of frequency lower than humans can hear. Now, nitpicking done, I have played with [bat detectors](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bat_detector) in the past. There is a lot of animals (mostly small) and things (like squeaking of folding paper) around. Lots of fun. Fortunately, we can’t hear them. Fortunately, because bats can be really loud, and we would have trouble sleeping with all that screaming around. [/QUOTE] Nitpick senior moment for me–I knew instantly that supersonic was the wrong term, but couldn’t for the life of me think of what the appropriate term was–until I saw your post and the heaing myself say: “Duh”. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2008, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anything-exciting-in-the-sub-supersonic-sounds/441307/15 "2008-03-14T21:41:14Z")
[QUOTE=WF Tomba] That short story, by the way, was by Roald Dahl, and if I remember right, he didn’t exactly go crazy–he destroyed the machine after a tree tried to kill him. [/QUOTE] I have it at home, I’ll check it out tonight and post back the title.