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Which Animal Has the Best Hearing?

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Quick Answer

The greater wax moth can detect sounds up to 300 kHz — the highest frequency of any known animal.

The Full Story

The greater wax moth (Galleria mellonella) holds the record for the highest-frequency hearing of any animal, capable of detecting ultrasonic sounds up to 300 kHz — roughly 15 times the upper limit of human hearing (about 20 kHz). This extreme sensitivity likely evolved as a defense against echolocating bats that prey on the moths. In terms of sensitivity to faint sounds, the barn owl has perhaps the most acute hearing of any animal, able to locate prey in complete darkness using sound alone. Its facial disc acts like a parabolic reflector, funneling sound to asymmetrically placed ear openings that allow precise three-dimensional sound localization.

Key Facts

1.Barn owls can catch mice in total darkness, guided entirely by the faint sound of the prey's movement
2.Elephants can detect infrasound — frequencies below 20 Hz — allowing them to communicate over distances of up to 10 km
3.Dolphins use echolocation clicks at frequencies up to 150 kHz to navigate and hunt in murky water

YouTube Angle

Suggested video title for this topic:

"The animal with superhuman hearing — how the wax moth outwits echolocating bats"