![is the sound of a gunshot enough to deafen is the sound of a gunshot enough to deafen](https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/JT3A0677-Version-2-640x426.jpg)
The sound levels generated by chorusing is loud enough to cause at least temporary if not permanent hearing. The spawning spectacle, added the researchers, deserves "increased appreciation and conservation". It sounds like a really loud machine gun. It was therefore "surprising" to see sea lions and dolphins feeding nearby. The frequencies of sound produced by the corvina fell within a range that could harm the hearing of seals, sea lions and dolphins, or even deafen them, the duo concluded. It is, furthermore, "the loudest sound ever recorded for a fish species." "These spawning events are among the loudest wildlife events found on planet Earth," Dr Rowell said by e-mail. They took measurements in March and April 2014, when an estimated 1.5 million corvinas gathered to procreate. Pursuing their research, Dr Erisman and Dr Rowell recorded the fish and said they were "a bit surprised by how loud the aggregation is". The fish cannot be seen in the murky waters of the gulf, making them hard to count.īut there is evidence that landed corvinas are getting smaller - a sign of overfishing, which happens when fish of a particular species are caught faster than they can reproduce. Don't miss: North Korea Wants To Hit the U.S.With an Anthrax-Tipped Missile: Report. According to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), which keeps a Red List of species, the Gulf corvina is "vulnerable" to extinction.Įarlier this year, Dr Rowell and Dr Erisman, with other experts, reported in the journal Scientific Reports that listening to the love calls of corvinas can help scientists keep track of their numbers for conservation purposes. The mating call is loud enough to permanently deafen dolphins.