Which animal is considered the loudest in the world?

The pistol shrimp, which is only five centimeters long, produces a bang of more than 220 decibels, making it the loudest animal in the world. When it snaps its claws shut at lightning speed, it creates a shock wave with bubbles that reach temperatures of up to 4,700 degrees. This heat incapacitates its prey.

Why are marine animals often particularly loud?

Water has a higher density than air, which causes sound waves to travel more slowly but reach higher volumes. That is why the three loudest animals in the world—the pistol shrimp, the sperm whale, and the blue whale—live in the ocean. The sperm whale, for example, uses its clicks—which can reach up to 200 decibels—to echolocate prey.

At what point does noise become dangerous or even fatal to humans?

At around 80 decibels, prolonged exposure can already cause hearing damage; at 160 decibels, it becomes acutely harmful to the eardrum. The world’s loudest speaker reaches 182 decibels—at this level, sound can even be fatal to humans. However, death in such cases is not caused by damage to the ears, but rather by the rupture of the alveoli.

How loud is our everyday life in comparison?

A vacuum cleaner produces about 70 decibels, while a busy street produces about 90 decibels. At this level, most people already find noise unpleasant and subconsciously avoid it, for example by keeping their windows closed. By comparison, a jackhammer or a chainsaw produces around 95 decibels.

The Loudest Sound Ever Recorded

Q: What was the loudest sound ever recorded?

The 1883 eruption of the Krakatoa volcano is considered the loudest sound ever recorded, with a calculated volume of about 320 decibels. It was heard as far away as 4,800 kilometers away on the island of Rodrigues. Even at a distance of 160 kilometers, the eruption was still audible at 172 decibels.

The Loudest Sound in the World

The 1883 Krakatoa eruption was the loudest sound ever recorded, at about 320 decibels—it could be heard as far away as 4,800 kilometers away on the island of Rodrigues.
The loudest animals in the world live underwater: The pistol shrimp, which is only five centimeters long, produces a bang of over 220 dB, followed by the sperm whale and the blue whale.
Exposure to noise levels of 80 decibels or higher for extended periods can already cause hearing damage; at 160 dB, it becomes dangerous for the eardrum—and noise-induced hearing loss is irreversible.

When you hear a loud noise in New York that originated in Dublin

We associate “loud” with the sound of a jet engine taking off, traffic noise, or the rumble of a thunderstorm. However, all of these sounds are downright quiet compared to the loudest sound ever recorded.

What was the loudest sound ever recorded? The eruption of Krakatoa, which erupted in 1883 on the Indonesian island of the same name, was heard as far away as 4,800 kilometers away on the island of Rodrigues in the Indian Ocean. To put that in perspective: it’s as if you were in New York and heard a loud noise that originated in Dublin. The volcanic eruption had an explosive force equivalent to about 170,000 Hiroshima bombs, and the shock wave could still be felt 15,000 kilometers away. Scientists later calculated the volume to be about 320 decibels. It was still audible at 172 decibels even at a distance of 160 kilometers.

When do we perceive a loud noise?

But it’s also surprising just how much noise we’re exposed to in our daily lives. For example, a vacuum cleaner produces about 70 decibels (dB). And a busy street typically produces around 90 dB. Incidentally, this is the range at which we find the noise unpleasant and subconsciously begin to avoid it. As a result, for example, balconies are used less often and windows are kept closed more frequently.

Chamber concert, orchestra pit, door slamming: 90 dB
Music (headphones), wood router, thunder, chainsaw, jackhammer: 95 dB
Chinese firecrackers, a classical symphony concert: 120 dB
Car race, jet plane, gunshot: 140 dB
Blacksmith’s hammer, cannon blast: 150 dB
Launch of a Saturn V rocket: 204 dB

The loudest animals live underwater

Did you know that it can get pretty loud underwater, too? Because water has a higher density, sound waves don't travel as fast, which is why they reach a higher volume. That's probably also why the three loudest animals live in the oceans.

The pistol shrimp is just five centimeters long, but it can produce a bang of more than 220 dB. This makes it the loudest animal in the world. The pistol shrimp grabs its prey with its left claw, while its right claw snaps shut in less than a millisecond. This creates a shock wave filled with bubbles. It reaches a temperature of 4,700 degrees—as hot as the sun—and thereby incapacitates the prey.

With a sound level of up to 200 decibels, the sperm whale is the second-loudest animal on Earth. It communicates with its fellow sperm whales through clicking sounds. It also uses these clicks to locate prey through echolocation. The sperm whale emits clicks and waits for an echo. Typically, the sperm whale emits two clicks per second. However, once it has located potential prey, this rate can increase to as many as 200 clicks per second.

The third-loudest animal is the blue whale, which is also considered the heaviest and largest living creature. Its song reaches up to 180 dB and can even be heard from a distance of 850 kilometers. Incidentally, the blue whale has extremely keen hearing that extends up to 1,600 kilometers.

Noise-induced hearing loss is irreversible

At around 80 decibels, hearing damage is possible if you’re exposed to the noise for an extended period. When a chainsaw roars, a jackhammer thumps, or an airplane roars overhead, we reflexively cover our ears. 160 decibels are harmful to the human eardrum. The world’s loudest speaker reaches 182 dB, entering a range where sound can actually be fatal to humans. However, it is not the destruction of the hearing apparatus that leads to death, but rather the rupture of the vital alveoli in the lungs, which cannot withstand the sound pressure. Hereyou’ll find additional information from the Federal Environment Agency on noise pollution and noise-induced hearing damage.

To protect your ears from loud noises and prevent hearing damage, you should wear hearing protection or earplugs when you’re in a noisy environment. Noise prevention is important, but it doesn’t have to be expensive. Find out here what types of earplugs and hearing protection are available.