What sound does a rat make when it screams? - briefly
A distressed rat emits a high‑pitched, piercing squeal that is sharp and shrill. The noise is loud enough to cut through ambient sounds and is easily recognizable as a rat’s scream.
What sound does a rat make when it screams? - in detail
Rats emit a sharp, high‑frequency vocalization when they are in extreme distress. The sound is a brief, piercing squeal that often rises above the normal chatter of a colony. Acoustic analysis shows the dominant frequency typically falls between 20 kHz and 30 kHz, with a strong harmonic structure that can extend into the ultrasonic range. Humans usually hear a loud, shrill squeak lasting 0.1–0.5 seconds; the ultrasonic component remains inaudible without specialized equipment.
Key characteristics:
- Amplitude: Peaks around 80–90 dB SPL measured at a distance of 10 cm, enough to startle nearby animals.
- Duration: Short bursts, occasionally repeated in rapid succession when the animal experiences acute pain or fear.
- Spectral profile: Fundamental frequency in the audible range, accompanied by harmonics up to 50 kHz, which are detectable only with bat‑detectors or high‑frequency microphones.
- Contextual triggers: Physical injury, predator exposure, sudden confinement, or electric shock.
Behavioral relevance:
- Functions as an alarm signal, prompting conspecifics to flee or investigate.
- Serves as a pain indicator in laboratory settings, allowing researchers to assess nociceptive thresholds.
- May facilitate social bonding by eliciting caregiving responses from other rats.
Recording recommendations:
- Use condenser microphones with a flat response up to 100 kHz.
- Position the sensor within 5 cm of the subject to capture both audible and ultrasonic components.
- Apply a high‑pass filter at 10 kHz when analyzing ultrasonic content to avoid low‑frequency noise.
In summary, the distress call of a rat is a brief, high‑pitched squeal with a dominant frequency near 25 kHz, audible to humans as a shrill squeak and extending into ultrasonic frequencies that require specialized detection.