5 Surprising Animal Sounds You Need To Hear To Believe
Of all of these surprising animal sounds, desert frogs have the cutest little squeak!
Published May 23 2024, 12:30 p.m. ET
When it comes to things that go bump in the night, nothing is more startling than hearing a scream in the woods. But, you may be surprised to learn that the shrill sound you hear coming from the forest isn't actually a scream at all, but instead a fox sounding the alarm. It may be funny to think that an animal like a fox can sound so much like a human in distress, but they're not the only ones capable of making noises you wouldn't expect to hear.
In fact, there are a number of creatures both big and small that make surprising animal sounds you need to hear to believe. But don't take my word for it, check out these clips of animals making noises that sound like they should be coming from somewhere else entirely to see what I mean.
The desert frog sounds like a squeaky toy.
You won't hear any "ribbits" when you come across a desert frog, which mostly calls Namibia and South Africa home. That's not the only thing that sets these amphibians apart from the frogs we're used to seeing, either. Desert frogs can't hop! Instead, their short legs leave them unable to perform the jumping motion, which forces them to walk when they're trying to get around.
Foxes can sound like a screaming woman.
There are few things as scary as hearing a scream in the night. However, when the source of that scream ends up being a fox, that fear can quickly turn into curiosity. According to the woman behind the wildlife rescue account @articfoxdaily on TikTok, these fluffy creatures use their shrill cries to alert their fellow foxes to danger. So, yeah, I guess in a way it can still be scary to hear that sound!
Emus sound like dinosaurs.
If you close your eyes and listen to this video very carefully, you may think that you're actually listening to a scene from Jurassic Park instead of watching a feathery emu. But, there are no dinos here, only the long-necked birds that call Australia home. The reason they sound alike could be because birds are descended from dinosaurs, or maybe it's because the folks behind some of our favorite dino movies used these creatures for inspiration, but there's no denying the similarities here!
Alpacas sound like squeaky toys.
You better be ready to play a game of fetch if you have a dog in the room when you listen to this clip of an alpaca. That's because these adorable creatures sound a whole lot like someone rapidly squeezing a squeaky toy. While the undeniably cute sound may be fun to listen to, for alpacas it means danger, so if you hear an alpaca making this noise when you're around, they may be worried about a predator being in their midst.
Baby harp seals sound like angry dogs.
No, your eyes aren't deceiving you, the source of this snarl isn't a fired-up chihuahua, it's a baby harp seal. These sweet-looking creatures are sometimes called water dogs, and it looks like they're determined to live up to that name by making this charming noise. It's kind of hard to take that noise seriously when they look like that.
As you can see, there's a lot to love from these animal noises. That being said, most of these are distress calls. So, if you happen to hear these sounds in the wild, it may mean that you need to be more mindful of your surroundings.
