Not Just Birds, Fish Sing Dawn & Dusk Choruses Too

Fish sing dawn choruses in the ocean just as birds do on land. Seven fish choruses have been identified by researchers which varied from “foghorn” cries to “grunting” noises. Using a pair of sea-noise loggers positioned at different points in the coastal waters of port Headland in Western Australia, scientists monitored the ocean continually for 18 months and recoded distinct choruses occurring at different times of the day, particularly at dawn and at dusk, with songs predominantly heard between early spring and late summer. The study found the majority of this submarine soundscape was emitted through repetitive solo calls from fish; however these sounds also overlapped creating the choruses. You get the dusk and dawn choruses like you would with the bird in the forest. Sound provides information about the behavioral functions of fish, such as spawning, feeding, territorial disputed or distress and studying fish noises may help provide valuable ecological knowledge.