Tigers produce a variety of sounds, from deep roars and
growls to the chuffing they use to greet each other. Their vocal repertoire
helps them maintain their hunting grounds.
They
rely on low-frequency sounds, much of it inaudible to humans, to
drive rivals away from their territory and to attract mates. The
rumbling sounds of 18Hz is important for tiger-to-tiger
communication. Sound frequency below 20Hz constitutes infrasound and travels
especially well. It not only covers long distances but also penetrates dense
forests.
The tiger’s infrasonic communications resembles that of
the elephant: Females
keep the matriarchate together and males signal other males. Elephants use their feet to sense infrasonic vibrations.
Giraffes, alligators, hippos, and rhinos also produce
infrasound. It seems a vast world
of animal communication exists right under our noses and our hearing range.
