A tiny water boatman is the loudest animal on Earth relative to its body size, a study has revealed. Scientists from France and Scotland recorded the aquatic animal "singing" at up to 99.2 decibels, the equivalent of listening to a loud orchestra play while sitting in the front row. The insect makes the sound by rubbing its penis against its abdomen in a process known as "stridulation". Researchers say the song is a courtship display performed to attract a mate.Read more about the water boatman and stridulation and listen to them "singing" at BBC Nature.
Micronecta scholtzi are freshwater insects measuring just 2mm that are common across Europe. In a study published in the journal PLoS One, the scientists discovered that the small animals make a mighty sound. The team of biologists and engineering experts recorded the insects using specialist underwater microphones. On average, the songs of M. scholtzi reached 78.9 decibels, comparable to a passing freight train. "We were very surprised. We first thought that the sound was coming from larger aquatic species such as a Sigara species [of] lesser water boatmen," said engineering expert Dr James Windmill from the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow.
"When we identified without any doubt the sound source, we spent a lot of time making absolutely sure that our recordings of the sounds were calibrated correctly."
Dr Windmill explained that the reason the insects don't deafen us is down to the bug's underwater lifestyle. Although 99% of the sound is lost when transferring from water to air, the songs were still loud enough to be audible to the human ear. "The song is so loud that a person walking along the bank can actually hear these tiny creatures singing from the bottom of the river," said Dr Windmill.
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