The tiny fish with a diameter of 12 mm is able to emit sounds close to its body of more than 140 decibels, comparable to the sounds of a jet engine during take-off at a distance of 100 metres.
It's the quality of the fish Danionella The braindescribed in a study published in the scientific journal “With people“, by an international research team that showed that small, transparent fish have a special device for generating sound. The authors say that the animals are supposed to use sounds to communicate with each other in murky waters.
A snapping shrimp can emit a sound of up to 250 decibels with its claws. the You Call Of pairing kakapo Flightless birds have a noise of up to 130 decibels, and elephants can make noise of up to 125 decibels with their trunks. “On the contrary, fish are generally considered fairly quiet members of the animal kingdom,” the doctor explained. Ralph Britz From the Senckenberg Natural History Collection in Dresden, he continues: “However, there are certain species of fish that can be surprisingly noisy. For example, Purishthis male “The male attracts his females with audible vibrations of approximately 100 Hz and 130 decibels.”
In his current study, Britz And an international research team led by Benjamin Judkowitz of Charité In Berlin they examined fish species Danionella The brainWhich is only about 12 mm long. “This small fish can emit sounds in excess of 140 decibels at a distance of 10 to 12 mm – this is similar to the noise a human hears from an aircraft during take-off at a distance of 100 meters and is unusual for an animal.” At this small size, we are trying to understand how fish achieve this and what mechanisms are responsible success“, explains l'ictiòleg de Dresden.
Using a combination of high-speed video and CT imaging Small computerizedAnalyzing gene expression and limited variation methods, the researchers showed that males of this species Danionella They possess a unique sound-generating apparatus that includes tympanic cartilage, a specialized rib, and fatigue-resistant muscles. “This device accelerates the tympanic cartilage with a force of over 2000 Gee Shoots on the swim bladder to produce A pols Fast and strong these guys pulses Join together to produce You Call He adds: “With alternating unilateral or bilateral muscle contractions.” Britz.
These permanently transparent fish, which serve as a model organism for biomedical research, are native to the murky shallow waters of Myanmar. “We hypothesize that competition between males in this visually restricted environment contributed to the development of a special mechanism for vocal communication,” he says. Britz.
The study's findings challenge the traditional idea that the speed of skeletal movement in vertebrates is limited by muscle movement. “Understanding extraordinary adaptation to Danionella The brain It expands our knowledge about animal locomotion and highlights the remarkable diversity in propulsion mechanisms in different species. This contributes to a broader understanding of evolutionary biology and biomechanics,” explains the team.
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