While most animals lack hearing, many others lose it as a result of injury or illness. Even animals with excellent hearing can find other ways to communicate. Moths and elephants are two examples of such animals. Regardless of the reason for losing hearing, some animals have exceptional acoustics. Excellent hearing can make the difference between finding food or getting to the table. Let’s take a look what makes animals with exceptional hearing so remarkable.
Moths are able to hear better than most mammals, despite having poor eyesight. They have evolved a range frequency frequencies that are higher than any other animal due to their incredible hearing. Their hearing has also made them more able to avoid being eaten by bats, their biggest predators. Because bats have terrible eyesight, they rely on their superior hearing to navigate. Echolocation allows them to determine how far an object is from them and how to avoid it.
Humans can hear high-frequency sounds but elephants can only pick up sounds below twelve thousand Hz. In addition, elephants can also detect low-frequency sounds with their feet. They can even detect vibrations underground. Their ears are extremely sensitive to high-frequency sounds. Elephants can hear low-frequency sounds from up to 2.5 miles away because their feet can detect them. This allows them to communicate more effectively with each other.
Although humans have excellent hearing, animals with exceptional hearing can hear more clearly than humans. Pigeons, for instance, can hear sounds at a lower frequency than humans can. Scientists believe that pigeons hear infrasound, which are sound waves below the human hearing range. These sounds can be used to navigate and can even detect distant earthquakes and volcanoes. Pigeons can hear infrasound, which is a higher frequency than the frequencies they hear.
Owls are some of the best listeners. Their sharp sense of hearing is a huge advantage in their nocturnal lifestyle. Their ears are crooked and their face feathers funnel sound toward their ears. With their keen sense of hearing, owls can identify where their prey is hidden in shrubbery and leaves. They are also the most attentive of all animals because they use their sight to move at night.
Elephants can hear sounds at frequencies up to 20 times lower than humans. They use their hearing to keep cool in hot environments and for other purposes. Their ears are among the most powerful in the animal kingdom, and they can detect even the faintest infrasound vibrations. It’s no wonder elephants are among the most powerful of all animals! Only a few other animals have such amazing acoustics. Their ears are an essential part of their daily lives.
Unlike cats, mice have the ability to detect objects up to 70 meters away. This remarkable hearing ability helps them avoid predators and catch prey. Horses also use their acoustics to communicate with the rest of their herd. They can identify the source of the sounds and determine if they are a threat to the group. The range of a horse’s hearing is between 55 herz and 33 kiloherz.