A hippopotamus, unlike other animals, is able to communicate to others of its kind above and below the water at the same time. These sounds are spread far and wide, expressing important information. Things like where other Hippos are and where territory boundaries start and end.
To begin, hippopotamuses use their vocal chords to speak just the same as we do. For the reason that hippo’s mouths are usually submerged underwater, the sound comes out through their nostrils, which are usually just peeking up. The sound waves travel as they normally would and other hippos above water are able to hear them. However, this sound does not travel from the air, and then underwater. Sound waves cannot switch mediums from air to water or from water to air. But how do hippos speak underwater at the same time? They have a very fatty area around the neck and the vocal chords. Fat is about the same density as water as well. When a hippo vocalizes, the vibrations made, go through the fat layer in the neck and travel out into the water. This allows for communication above and below water.
Listening to these sounds are a bit more difficult. Above water, the hippos are able to listen normally and clearly, however far the sounds will travel in air. Underwater, as always, causes more problems. When swimming, hippos close their exterior ears, so they have no way of listening to these sounds through their ears. Hippos listen to these sounds through their jaws. The connections from their jaws to their skulls is very thin, great for acquiring sound. This portion of the jaw is connected to the middle ear. The vibrations then travel through the body and into the ear, where it is translated into sound. http://blb.biosci.ohio-state.edu/blbmp3s/20539.mp3 Hippopotamus call from Borror Lab at Ohio Stare University.
To begin, hippopotamuses use their vocal chords to speak just the same as we do. For the reason that hippo’s mouths are usually submerged underwater, the sound comes out through their nostrils, which are usually just peeking up. The sound waves travel as they normally would and other hippos above water are able to hear them. However, this sound does not travel from the air, and then underwater. Sound waves cannot switch mediums from air to water or from water to air. But how do hippos speak underwater at the same time? They have a very fatty area around the neck and the vocal chords. Fat is about the same density as water as well. When a hippo vocalizes, the vibrations made, go through the fat layer in the neck and travel out into the water. This allows for communication above and below water.
Listening to these sounds are a bit more difficult. Above water, the hippos are able to listen normally and clearly, however far the sounds will travel in air. Underwater, as always, causes more problems. When swimming, hippos close their exterior ears, so they have no way of listening to these sounds through their ears. Hippos listen to these sounds through their jaws. The connections from their jaws to their skulls is very thin, great for acquiring sound. This portion of the jaw is connected to the middle ear. The vibrations then travel through the body and into the ear, where it is translated into sound. http://blb.biosci.ohio-state.edu/blbmp3s/20539.mp3 Hippopotamus call from Borror Lab at Ohio Stare University.