What does rat ultrasound sound like? - briefly
Rats emit ultrasonic vocalizations ranging from roughly 20 kHz to 80 kHz, which appear as very high‑pitched squeaks that are inaudible to most humans without specialized equipment. These sounds are used for communication, especially in distress or social contexts.
What does rat ultrasound sound like? - in detail
Rats emit vocalizations that lie well above the human audible range, typically between 20 kHz and 100 kHz. These sounds are brief, lasting from a few milliseconds to several hundred milliseconds, and often appear as sequences of frequency-modulated sweeps. In aggressive encounters, males produce high‑frequency, rapidly rising calls (≈70–90 kHz) with sharp onsets and abrupt terminations. During mating, females generate longer, lower‑frequency tones (≈30–50 kHz) that contain slower frequency modulations and occasional harmonic components. Pup distress calls are centered around 40–50 kHz, consist of repetitive, narrow‑band pulses, and increase in amplitude when the pup is isolated.
Key acoustic characteristics:
- Frequency range: 20–100 kHz, peak energy commonly near 40–60 kHz.
- Duration: 5–200 ms per syllable; bouts may extend for seconds.
- Modulation: upward or downward sweeps, flat tones, and complex multi‑tone structures.
- Amplitude: 50–80 dB SPL measured at 10 cm, varying with emotional state.
- Harmonics: occasional second‑order harmonics detectable in high‑intensity calls.
Measurement employs ultrasonic microphones (e.g., condenser microphones with a flat response up to 200 kHz) coupled to high‑sampling‑rate recorders (≥250 kHz). Spectrogram analysis reveals the temporal pattern and frequency trajectory, allowing discrimination of call types across behavioral contexts.
In summary, rat ultrasonic emissions are high‑frequency, short‑duration sounds with distinct modulation patterns that encode social and emotional information. Their precise acoustic parameters differ markedly between aggression, mating, and pup distress, providing a reliable auditory signature for each behavioral state.