A blue whale's call is so loud it can be heard by other whales over 500 miles away.

Blue whales (Balaenoptera musculus) produce the loudest sounds of any animal on Earth, reaching intensities of 188 decibels. For comparison, a jet engine at takeoff registers around 140 decibels. Because the decibel scale is logarithmic, a 188-decibel sound is thousands of times more intense than a jet engine, though the density of water affects how we perceive this volume compared to air.These vocalizations consist of low-frequency pulses, groans, and moans that typically fall between 10 and 40 Hertz. Sound travels approximately 4.5 times faster in water than in air, and low frequencies lose very little energy as they propagate through the ocean. Under ideal conditions, researchers from institutions like the Cornell Lab of Ornithology have documented these sounds traveling over 500 miles (800 kilometers).Whales do not possess vocal cords like humans. Instead, they force air through a complex system of laryngeal pouches and nasal sacs located below their blowhole. This mechanism allows them to recycle air while submerged, creating massive acoustic pressure without exhaling. This long-distance communication is vital for finding mates and coordinating movements across vast, desolate stretches of the deep sea.