Why is it useful for animals to use infrasound for communication?

The mid-frequency noises that most animals use are perfect for relatively close communication through air. ... The infrasound frequencies are good for long distance communication because they travel well through objects instead of being reflected.

1. What is infrasound used for?
2. What animals can hear infrasound?
3. Why do elephants use infrasound?
4. Do animals react to infrasound?
5. What is an example of infrasound?
6. Can humans feel infrasound?
7. How do elephants communicate using infrasound?
8. Who discovered infrasound?
9. How do animals such as elephants and whales communicate?
10. Can dogs hear infrasound?
11. Can elephants hear infrasound?
12. Why Can elephants hear lower frequencies?
13. How is infrasound used to detect earthquakes?
14. Can dolphins hear infrasound?
15. Which animals communicate using ultrasonic and infrasound?

What is infrasound used for?

People use this frequency range for monitoring earthquakes and volcanoes, charting rock and petroleum formations below the earth, and also in ballistocardiography and seismocardiography to study the mechanics of the heart. Infrasound is characterized by an ability to get around obstacles with little dissipation.

What animals can hear infrasound?

And scientists say there's a possibility that Wit is right. That's because elephants are among a handful of animals known to be able to hear “infrasound,” the extremely low-frequency rumbles that are produced by natural phenomena from earthquakes and volcanoes to heavy winds and avalanches.

Why do elephants use infrasound?

Scientists first discovered that elephants made infrasounds in the 1980s. The head female in a herd may produce the noises to guide her group's movements, whereas a male who's in a mating state called musth might use the calls to thwart competition from other males.

Do animals react to infrasound?

The production and perception of infrasound has been observed in multiple mammals, including whale, elephant, giraffe, hippopotamus, and rhinoceros. For most of these animals, observations are preliminary and their sensitivity to infrasound has not been quantified.

What is an example of infrasound?

Infrasound is sound which extends below the range of human hearing (from 20 Hz down to 0.001 Hz), and it eminates from many natural and man made sources. For example, some animals, such as whales, elephants and giraffes communicate using infrasound over long distances.

Can humans feel infrasound?

Hearing becomes gradually less sensitive as frequency decreases, so for humans to perceive infrasound, the sound pressure must be sufficiently high. The ear is the primary organ for sensing infrasound, but at higher intensities it is possible to feel infrasound vibrations in various parts of the body.

How do elephants communicate using infrasound?

Elephants can communicate using very low frequency sounds, with pitches below the range of human hearing. ... By this hypothesis, elephant infrasounds result simply from very long vocal folds slapping together at a low rate, and don't require any periodic tensing of the laryngeal muscles.

Who discovered infrasound?

Infrasound refers to low-frequency sounds vibrating from 0.1 to 20 Hz, just below the threshold for human hearing. It's used for monitoring earthquakes, in World War I, for locating artillery. But it was engineer Vic Tandy in 1980 who discovered that infrasound could be responsible for perceived "hauntings."

How do animals such as elephants and whales communicate?

Like whales and dolphins, elephants have strong social structures and they use low-frequency sound to communicate over wide expanses. ... “Truck sounds are very low frequencies, well within the range of sounds that elephants produce,” Watwood said.

Can dogs hear infrasound?

Signs a Dog Hears Infrasonic Sound Waves. Dogs have the ability to hear sounds with frequencies ranging from around 40 Hz to 60,000 Hz. This means dogs are less sensitive to low frequency (or bass) noises than people. Dogs are therefore not likely to hear infrasonic sounds, however, they may 'feel' them.

Can elephants hear infrasound?

Elephants' ability to hear what is called infrasound — sound waves with frequencies too low for humans to hear — has been known about for years.

Why Can elephants hear lower frequencies?

Elephants are able to produce very low frequency sounds for several reasons. First, they are able to produce low sounds because they are large bodied and, just as in musical instruments, the longer and looser the vibrating string (or vocal chords) and the larger the resonating chamber, the lower the frequency produced.

How is infrasound used to detect earthquakes?

When the ground shakes, it produces infrasound waves in the air, often at frequencies below 5 Hz. These acoustic waves can travel hundreds of kilometers, and infrasound detection has been an important part of systems for monitoring nuclear tests, along with traditional seismometers.

Can dolphins hear infrasound?

Hearing range describes the range of frequencies that can be heard by humans or other animals, though it can also refer to the range of levels. ... Some dolphins and bats, for example, can hear frequencies up to 100,000 Hz. Elephants can hear sounds at 14–16 Hz, while some whales can hear infrasonic sounds as low as 7 Hz.

Which animals communicate using ultrasonic and infrasound?

Bats, Insects like beetles, moths, praying mantis, dolphins, dogs, frogs and toads, etc. communicate using ultrasonic hearing. Infrasound, is a low-frequency sound less than 20Hz.