What Does a Shark Sound Like? First Shark Noise Detected & It’s as Loud as a Gun Shot

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Half a century ago, John Williams ingeniously employed a tuba to create an ominous melody for the classic film score of Jaws (the 50th Anniversary edition can be purchased from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment). This soundtrack became synonymous with sharks worldwide. Interestingly, recent findings reveal that some sharks, known for their silence, naturally produce sounds in the real world. While studying a specific type of houndshark in 2021 as part of her doctoral research at the University of Auckland, New Zealand, Carolin Nieder from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution first recorded the sounds produced by any known shark species.

The subject at hand is Mustelus lenticulatus, also known as the spotted estuary smooth-hound or colloquially referred to as the rig shark. Generally associated with being silent marine dwellers, these sharks are often seen gracefully moving through water in pursuit of food. However, under specific circumstances, they emit a distinct and unmistakable click. This finding was recently shared in the scholarly publication Royal Society Open Science.

A sharp click is the first sound ever heard from a shark

Among land-dwelling creatures such as birds, insects, and chatty coworkers, sound production is quite prevalent. In contrast, it’s less frequent underwater. While marine mammals indeed produce sounds and some fish use their swim bladders for both buoyancy and sound production, sharks do not possess a swim bladder.

This compact species of shark typically reaches no more than 5 feet in maturity and is frequently found near New Zealand’s waters, making them an attractive choice for research. While manipulating these sharks during experiments, Nieder detected a noise that resembled electricity. At first, she didn’t grasp the importance of the sound due to the belief that sharks are inherently silent. This assumption is logical as they don’t possess vocal cords or any other structures for making sounds.

To verify the source of the sound, Nieder and team collected ten young rig sharks from the waters surrounding New Zealand’s North Island and placed them in tanks equipped with sensitive recording devices. They then interacted with the sharks for approximately 20 seconds at a time, monitoring for sounds. Remarkably, each rig shark produced a clicking sound when handled, marking it as the first-known shark capable of intentionally producing noise.

For More on Sharks

Exploring with Sharks: 50 Years After Jaws – What We’ve Uncovered About These Astonishing Predators

Why Does Someone Dare to Swim 6 Miles Daily in the “Shark-Inhabited” Waters from Jaws?

The Top 10 Most Bizarre (Fascinating) Sharks Ever Discovered

Shark clicks, despite being short-lived (approximately 48 milliseconds) and quite loud (up to 155 decibels, comparable to a gunshot), were observed. These clicks are thought to be a stress response as their frequency reduced over time with sharks growing accustomed to handling. Interestingly, the clicks produced by these sharks exceed the frequencies they can hear, implying they may not be for interspecies communication but rather to deter predators, confuse prey, or for some other undiscovered purpose. Researchers are uncertain about the mechanism behind these clicks and how sharks generate them, though a popular theory is that they might be producing them by striking their teeth together. Further investigation is required to fully understand how and why great white sharks produce these clicks.

If many shark species are capable of producing sounds, this could provide scientists with a novel approach to examine shark populations and offer insights into the general well-being of marine ecosystems. A thriving ocean, teeming with various species, might develop a distinct acoustic profile compared to an unhealthy one, which could have a unique sound signature. However, it’s worth noting that while sharks can hear sounds and even produce them, their other senses such as their keen sense of smell and ability to detect electric fields in water likely play far more significant roles in their sensory experiences.

Sharks aren’t musicians who play instruments like the tuba as portrayed in John Williams’ memorable Jaws soundtrack. Instead, if scientists are correct about their methods of making noise, the repeated clicking of a rig shark is more of a rhythmic beat produced by snapping its jaws back and forth. Essentially, these ocean predators might be considered as keeping time on a drum set.

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2025-05-27 22:01