10 loudest animals on earth who can make you deaf easily

Humans can normally hear a whisper of about 30 dB to the highest 120 dB level sound for a short duration. But we have made a list of the top 10 loudest animals on earth that can easily break your glasses and eardrums. Our topmost contender can even paralyze and kill you with his sound.

10) Brazilian white Bellbird

Video source: Brazilian white Bellbird by Random available under license Creative Commons Attribution license (reuse allowed at Youtube.

Animal loudest sound recorded: 125 dB

Uses loud noise for: Impress females or mating calls

Brazilian white Bellbirds, these loudest animals particularly sound like a high and sharp-pitched industrial alarm. Yes, not joking ear damaging and unreal electronic sounds come from their mouth. Male bellbirds are white while female bellbirds are yellowish-green in color. A long dark wattle hangs from its beak and produces two different types of sound during mating season.

How do they do it?

Males produce these intense sounds with the help of their strong abdominal walls while female species are quiet. Their sounds have two variations- the first is a longer gutting scream and the second is a shorter but louder one which is about 125dB. Bellbird has a weird courtship ritual of pivoting on branches and firing their ear-deafening calls directly on the female’s face. These birds are hard to spot since they like to give a call from the highest point of a tree.

Fun fact about these loudest animals on earth- The sounds of the males damage female hearing ability but every bird has a gifted ability. They can repair their hearing by regenerating their cochlear hair cells which is impossible for humans.

9) Northern elephant seal

Image source: Mike Baird, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Animal loudest sound recorded: 126 dB

Uses loud noise for: Mating rights or challenging to become Alpha Male

North elephant seals are undeniably heavyweight dominating creatures in which males can weigh up to 3,700 kg. These species were gone into extinction due to their hunting for their blubber, which people used for lamp oil. These species can hold their breath for unbelievably more than 100 minutes deep underwater. Seals spent 70-80% of their lives swimming constantly in the ocean covering up to 20,000 miles per year. 

Why do they do it?

Elephant seals are loudest animals on earth when they get into incredibly brutal fights for mating rights. These extremely loud and deep trumpeting calls serve as a warning for weak males. Seals are one of the loudest animals who don’t remember each other faces but remember each other calls. For e.g. Males remember their rivals through calls and females find their babies in the crowd through calls only.

Fun fact about these loudest animals on earth- Before diving seals generally breathe out all oxygen and shrink their lungs to dive deeper. They rely entirely on oxygen in blood and muscles. They also slow down their heart rate to 6 beats per minute requiring less oxygen underwater.

8) Kakapo

Image source: Department of Conservation, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Animal loudest sound recorded: 132 dB

Uses loud noise for: Mating call

Kakapo is the heaviest parrot in the world and has wings but sadly can’t fly due to weight. This cute species is nocturnal but sometimes wakes up before sunset. Kakapo species are found mainly in New Zealand weighing up to 4 kilos. It can’t fly but can climb up high Remu trees to eat its favorite fruit which fuels kakapo’s reproduction. 

How do they do it?

Kakapo Mating calls are “Boom” which are deep calls carrying over a long distance. They boom by inflating air sacs in their chest alternating with a series of higher “changing” calls during mating season. Since these are nocturnal species and don’t fly, these calls help females to find their mating partner in the dark. Kakapo live longer than any other birds some up to 100 years but are on the verge of extinction today.

Fun fact about these loudest animals on earth- They only breed when the Remu tree produces a bumper crop, which is once every 4 years. Thus they give birth once only in a 4-year period cycle.

7) Moluccan Cockatoo

Animal loudest sound recorded: 135 decibels

Uses loud noise for: Boredom and to show high emotions

The Moluccan Cockatoo is one of the most beautiful looking exotic birds on the planet only found in the Moluccan Islands of Indonesia. It has a beautiful salmon-pink crest on its head which rises when it shouts louder. They are a good mimic artist and can easily copy human language if spoken multiple times. These birds are highly intelligent and require a large area for living to engage themselves mentally and physically every day.

Why do they do it?

These birds need independence and freedom otherwise they become incredibly loud up to 135 dB. They can even self-harm by plucking their own feathers if not given a lot of attention. Moluccan Cockatoo is an unpredictable species that sometimes screams when they are happy or afraid. They are undoubtedly one of the noisiest animal in the world who screams for no reason at all even in the middle of the night. 

Fun fact about these loudest animals on earth- Moluccan Cockatoos have a lifespan similar to humans if kept in captivity which is up to 70 years. Which means you get a lifetime buddy.

6) Greengrocer Cicada 

Video source: Green Grocer Cicada by Phil Harris available under license Creative Commons Attribution license (reuse allowed at Youtube.

Animal loudest sound recorded: 135 dB

Uses loud noise for: Mating calls

Greengrocer cicadas are the loudest insect in the world mainly found in coastal regions of Southeastern Australia. The sound produced by these species feels like standing beside emergency sirens. Cicadas live 17 years underground after birth sucking tree sap from the roots. They come out of the ground later to climb trees since they don’t have wings during the underground cycle. To become an adult they split open their exoskeleton called cicada shells and acquire wings and sexual organs.

How do they do it: Sadly, these cicadas just have few chances to mate and die within a few weeks. Now you can truly understand why they are so loud. The harsh and high-pitched mating calls of the males can be easily heard during the summer months. The sound is created with the help of rapid buckling of the tymbal ribs and then releasing it. Cicadas repeat this action 300 to 400 times per second to create a very sharp and click sound.  

Fun fact about these loudest animals on earth- The process by which a baby cicada(nymph) becomes an adult cicada is Metamorphosis. If this process doesn’t happen properly they can really die without even mating or grow handicapped.

5) Howler Monkeys

Animal loudest sound recorded: 140dB

Uses loud noise for: Territorial domination

Howler monkeys are the loudest animals on earth which are found in South and Central American forests. They are quite infamous for their noisiest howls. Their howls are so loud they can be heard from 3 miles away. Howlers mainly eat fruits and have a really long tail to grab branches for balancing their bodies. They even have a strong smell sense which can smell fruits and nuts from 2 km away in the forest.

How do they do it?

Howler monkeys have Hyoid bones in their throats that specifically serve as a kind of amplifier of voice. In addition to this, they have semi-saggy throat pouches which even further amplify their orations making the sound horrifying. Only Male howlers can howl, they do this to declare to other male howlers that this is their territory so stay away. Howler’s noise sounds like loud whooping bark or roar only meant to terrify you, usually, they don’t attack.

Fun fact about these loudest animals on earth- Howler monkeys sleep for about 16 hours a day, which is a relief for other animals. Otherwise, they would have to bear their unpleasant howl all day.

4) Greater Bulldog Bat 

Image source: Felineora, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Animal loudest sound recorded: 140 dB

Uses loud noise for: Echolocation, flying, and hunting 

Bulldog bats are the loudest animals species which are mainly found in the Northern and Central South America region. These bats are excellent fishermen who only require the ripples created by fish underwater to hunt them. While flying at 40 miles per hour these bats grab these fish by the fin with the help of ultrasound. These bats hunt insects in the wet season and fish in the dry season.

How do they do it?

Bulldog bats produce extremely high-pitched sounds in their throats and then project them forward. The sound gets echoed back into the bat’s ears giving an exact map of their surroundings. These bats in massive amounts go out hunting at night. So to avoid collision between 2 fellow bats they give calls in octave to tell other bats to watch out.

Fun fact about these loudest animals on earth- These bats have a pouch in their cheeks for food storage. They later either eat from the pouch or feed babies from the pouch.

3) Nanday Conure

Image source: Nanday Conure by Jim Mullhaupt, available under license CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 at Flickr.

Animal loudest sound recorded: 155 dB

Uses loud noise for: Warning from predators, Showing emotions and communication

Nanday Conure is the loudest bird in the world and loudest land animal also. This is an exotic parrot species found mainly in South America. These birds are naturally born to be a loudmouth and can be quite irritating for neighbors as a pet. Their normal communication sounds like demanding food and attention has a noise level similar to firecrackers and screeching boards. Conures are beautiful, loving, and intelligent parakeets who like to explore things as well as interact with their owners.

Why do they do it? 

Nanday Conure can get easily scared and screeches really loud in extreme fear which can damage your hearing. Each sound has a different meaning like the little growling sound “errrr” is made when they’re being extra curious about something. Angry “eeeeh” sound is made while they bite and shake their head at whatever they’re mad at. They love to squeal in an excited state which is while they are fighting and playing with other parakeets. 

Fun fact about these loudest animals on earth- These species are very intelligent and remember every sound they hear. They can easily mimic your fire alarm sound and can put you in confusion by calling the fire brigade.

2) Dolphin 

Video source: Dolphin sound by RELAX AMUTHAM available under license Creative Commons Attribution license (reuse allowed at Youtube.

Animal loudest sound recorded: 220db

Uses loud noise for: Echolocation, Hunting, and Communication

Dolphins uses highly advanced communication system to locate their food, friends, and territory. His echolocation methods are so advanced that they can find even the fastest fish without visibility in the deep sea. Surprisingly, these animals don’t have vocal cords at all. Still, they can communicate and even find out the size of their prey through sound.

How do they do it?

Dolphins talk through their nose by pushing air between the lips of their nasal passages. Yes, they have lips inside their nose which helps them to create sounds. Later these sounds or clicks gets a boost with the help of another body part called “melon”. Melon helps to send clicks like a concentrated beam in the water. This sound gets echoed and received in the area of their lower jaw bones into the ear. Yes, they don’t hear directly through their ears but through their jaws. 

Fun fact about these loudest animals on earth- Dolphins were especially famous in both U.S. Army and the Soviet Union; during Cold War to find out enemy submarines. These top secretly trained squads of military dolphins deliver vessels and detect enemy swimmers or other dolphins. 

1) Sperm Whales

Animal loudest sound recorded: 230 dB

Uses loud noise for: Echolocation and Communication

The Sperm whales is the loudest animals on earth who can easily burst your eardrums. The clicks or sounds made by these animals are so powerful that they can vibrate the human body to death. It has been found that sperm whales can hear each other from 100-1000 miles away. Another amazing fact is they don’t use ears for hearing but flip on their belly to collect the echoes underneath their jaw.

How do they do it? 

Researchers say that they are the brainiacs of the sea and are even way far better at communication than humans. Sperm whales have liquid wax called “Spermaceti” filled in a giant sac that makes up over a quarter of the whale’s body. So when the Sperm whale clicks, the echoes enter through the monkey lips present at the tip of the nose. These clicks travel through the liquid wax into the skull which has a structure like a radar dish. This dish reflects the click back down through the nose and out into the dark world helping them to navigate.

Fun fact about these loudest animals on earth- Inside the ocean, a researcher showed his hand to stop the sperm whale who was coming towards him. His whole arm absorbed the high-intensity clicks of the whale causing paralysis in his arm for 4 hours.

Thus hereby we conclude our list of loudest animals on earth. Hope you liked the article!!!