Tiny seahorse angry growl when they are caught

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Although that seahorses can make sounds, it was known at least since the 1800s, studies on the functions of these sounds were rare. To fix this, the researcher TP R. Oliveira gathered a group of seahorse species Hippocampus reidi, who lives along the east coast of North and South America, from Cape Hatteras to Brazil and in the Gulf of Mexico.

Equipping Aquarium hydrophone, the researchers recorded the sounds of skates in various situations - feeding, grooming and stress produced by touching. Oliveira says that the investigator touched the body of each seahorse at a distance of two centimeters from the hydrophone. "Although the touch was, in fact, an artificial - they wrote - it provoked skates make sounds as if they are caught predator. Predators such as klounovye often first grab and keep seahorses before swallowing them ».



What was the surprise of scientists, when stress caused a "growl". This was the first study of all time, who described a similar type of sound emitted by a seahorse. Growling never occurs during social interactions with other seahorses, only when there is interaction between the ridge and the person. If seahorses really perceive the experience with a man, as the seizure of a predator, it is reasonable to assume that growl is a natural part of their vocal repertoire.

Oliveira and his colleagues attribute this to the fact that "growl may be an additional mechanism of salvation, because it is accompanied by the sound vibration of the body that can scare predators." This hypothesis is justified because catfish, lizards and some birds vibrate, creating noise, not to become someone's dinner.

via factroom.ru