Animals and the sounds they make (2025 Update)
Educational and Fun Activities
Written by Alexandra Stone
07 March 2024
🕓 10 min
Animals and the Sounds They Make
From the chirping of birds at sunrise to the deep roar of a lion, animals create a fascinating range of sounds that shape our natural world. These sounds serve many purposes—communication, survival, and navigation—and showcase the incredible ways animals have adapted to their environments.
At The Science of Sound, we love exploring how sound waves travel and how different species use sound in unique ways. Our STEM workshops, after-school clubs, and holiday camps allow children to engage with hands-on activities that bring the science of sound to life.
In this blog, we’ll uncover how and why animals make sounds, the different techniques they use, and fun ways children can explore animal communication at home!
1. Why Do Animals Make Sounds?
Animals rely on sound as a primary form of communication, helping them survive, navigate, and interact with their environment. Different species use unique sound patterns for specific purposes, from attracting mates to warning of danger.
Common Reasons Animals Use Sound:
✔ Attracting Mates – Birds, frogs, and even insects use distinctive calls to attract mates. Their songs often signal strength, health, and readiness to reproduce.
✔ Warning Signals – Many animals, like monkeys, emit loud calls to warn their group of predators. Even rattlesnakes use their rattle as a deterrent.
✔ Marking Territory – Roars, howls, and other loud vocalisations help animals establish dominance and prevent conflicts. Lions, for example, roar to announce their presence to other pride members.
✔ Finding Each Other – Marine mammals like dolphins and whales use echolocation and signature whistles to locate their pods and navigate vast ocean distances.
Fun Fact:
Did you know that elephants communicate using infrasound—low-frequency sounds that humans can’t hear? These sounds can travel miles across the savanna, helping elephants stay connected even when far apart.
At The Science of Sound, we explore the science behind animal sounds and communication through engaging experiments in our STEM workshops, after-school clubs, and holiday camps.
If you’re curious about the technical side of sound, check out our post What is Audio Frequency? to learn more about how different animals use frequency to communicate.
2. How Animals Create Sound
Animals have evolved unique ways to produce sound, depending on their environment and communication needs. From vocal cords to body vibrations, these adaptations help animals navigate, attract mates, and stay safe.
How Different Animals Create Sound:
✔ Birds – Birds use a special vocal organ called the syrinx, located at the base of their trachea. This allows them to produce complex songs and calls used for communication, mating, and warning signals.
✔ Insects – Crickets and grasshoppers create sound through stridulation, where they rub their wings or legs together to produce chirps.
✔ Mammals – Many mammals, including lions, dogs, and humans, use vocal cords to generate sound by forcing air through their larynx.
✔ Marine Animals – Dolphins and whales use clicks, whistles, and songs to communicate. These sounds travel efficiently underwater, helping them find food, navigate, and stay in contact with their pods.
Fun Fact:
Bats use echolocation, emitting high-frequency sounds that bounce off objects, allowing them to see with sound in complete darkness.
At The Science of Sound, we explore how animals produce and use sound through hands-on experiments in our STEM workshops, after-school clubs, and holiday camps, helping children understand the fascinating world of bioacoustics.
To explore more animal sound-making techniques, read our blog What are Ultrasonics?, where we dive into the high-pitched world of animals like bats and dolphins.
3. Fun Activity: Animal Sound Game
This interactive game helps children learn about animal sounds while improving their listening skills. It’s a simple and fun way to connect sound science with the natural world.
Materials Needed:
✔ A phone, computer, or tablet (to play animal sounds)
✔ A list of animal sounds (available on YouTube, apps, or online databases)
✔ A group of children (optional, but more fun with friends!)
Steps:
- Play an animal sound and ask children to guess which animal made it.
- Start with familiar animals (dogs, cats, cows), then move to more exotic sounds (dolphins, elephants, crickets).
- Introduce fun facts about each animal’s sound, such as how and why they produce it.
- For an added challenge, play multiple animal sounds together and see if children can identify them!
Why This Works:
This activity engages auditory learning and helps children recognize patterns in sound. It also teaches how sound varies across species and encourages curiosity about animal communication.
Fun Fact:
Some parrots can mimic human speech, while lyrebirds can copy camera shutters, car alarms, and even chainsaws!
At The Science of Sound, we love using games and interactive experiments to make science exciting. Our STEM workshops, after-school clubs, and holiday camps bring learning to life with engaging activities like this!
For more engaging activities, visit How Sound Waves Can Be Fun for Primary School Children for experiments that make learning about sound fun and interactive, underwater vocalizations serve as vital tools for navigation, communication, and foraging in the vast ocean depths.
4. The Impact of Animal Sounds on Ecosystems
Animal sounds are more than just fascinating noises—they play a critical role in maintaining ecosystems. From predator-prey interactions to territory defense, these sounds help shape the balance of the natural world.
How Animal Sounds Affect Ecosystems:
✔ Predator-Prey Relationships – Some animals use sound to locate prey, while others listen for danger signals to escape. For example, mice freeze when they hear an owl’s hoot.
✔ Territory and Social Structures – Lions roar to claim territory, while wolves howl to coordinate pack movements.
✔ Dawn Chorus and Nature’s Rhythm – Birds singing in the morning help set the daily rhythm of the ecosystem, signaling the start of the day for many species.
✔ Marine Ecosystem Communication – Whales use low-frequency calls to communicate over vast distances, ensuring they stay connected despite the vastness of the ocean.
The Threat of Noise Pollution:
Unfortunately, human activity is disrupting natural soundscapes. Traffic, construction, and industrial noise can drown out the calls animals rely on for survival, making it harder for them to find mates, warn of predators, or navigate.
Fun Fact:
Whales have been observed changing their calls to avoid interference from loud ships and sonar systems, showing how adaptable animals can be in response to noise pollution.
At The Science of Sound, we explore how sound connects science, nature, and technology through interactive activities in our STEM workshops, after-school clubs, and holiday camps, encouraging children to appreciate the role of sound in the natural world.
If you’re interested in how sound impacts not just animals but human health, check out Understanding the Impact of Sound on Human Health.
Final Thoughts
Animal sounds are an essential part of the natural world, serving as tools for communication, survival, and environmental balance. Whether it’s a lion’s roar, a bird’s song, or a dolphin’s echolocation clicks, these sounds provide insight into animal behavior and ecosystem health.
By learning how animals use sound, children can develop a deeper appreciation for nature and science. Understanding these sounds also highlights the importance of preserving natural soundscapes and reducing human-made noise pollution to protect wildlife.
At The Science of Sound, we encourage children to explore, experiment, and engage with sound science through our STEM workshops, after-school clubs, and holiday camps. Our interactive programs help young learners discover the wonders of animal communication and sound waves in a fun and hands-on way.
Would you like to experience the science of sound in action? Join us today for a fun and educational journey into the world of sound!
