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Narwhals buzz and click when they get close to food in rare, relatable audio

It sounds like they're revving a tiny engine.
 By 
Amanda Yeo
 on 
Narwhals buzz and click when they get close to food in rare, relatable audio
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It turns out that narwhals don't just look like electric drills. In a wonderfully serendipitous turn of events, it turns out the big-toothed whales sound like drills as well.

Geophysicists worked with Inuit hunters last July to record rarely heard narwhal sounds in Greenland, collecting the various clicks, whistles, and pulsed tones these mammals emit. According to a study published in AGU on Tuesday, narwhals make a clicking sound to find food through echolocation, speeding up to an excited buzz the closer they get to their meal. And same, tbh.

Less relatable is the fact that whistling at strangers is much more socially acceptable amongst narwhals than humans, as they use these sharp chirrups to communicate with each other.

Topics Animals

Amanda Yeo
Amanda Yeo
Assistant Editor

Amanda Yeo is an Assistant Editor at Mashable, covering entertainment, culture, tech, science, and social good. Based in Australia, she writes about everything from video games and K-pop to movies and gadgets.


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