Blacktip Sharks Hear Sounds From 74 Meters
Florida Atlantic University researchers found oceanic blacktip sharks respond to low-frequency sounds at long distances.
Updated on Nov. 8, 2026 in Aquariums
Researchers from Florida Atlantic University found that oceanic blacktip sharks detect low-frequency sounds from up to 74 meters away and rapidly change swimming course in response. The study was published in Integrative Organismal Biology.
Why it matters
The findings show that sharks can locate and assess sound sources at distance, which bears on how they sense their surroundings in nearshore waters. Understanding these hearing capabilities helps clarify how sharks interact with their environment.
Sharks responded to all three tested low-frequency ranges, from 100-200Hz to 400-800Hz, and were more sensitive to lower frequencies. The 10kHz control sound outside their known hearing range produced no response.
The players
Florida Atlantic University
A public research university in Florida whose researchers conducted the study on blacktip shark hearing.
The details
Researchers anchored a boat and deployed an underwater speaker that drifted with the current up to 19 meters away while calibrated hydrophones mapped sound levels and an aerial drone tracked sharks from 40-50 meters above the surface. Sharks lack a gas-filled swim bladder, and researchers think they detect sound-produced vibrations using their inner ears.
Timeline
Each winter, large numbers of blacktip sharks gather along the Palm Beach County coast.
The study was published on November 8, 2026.
Culture Shift
The study builds on Florida Atlantic University's long-running observation of predictable winter blacktip shark aggregations off southeast Florida, adding measured evidence of acoustic sensing at distance. It extends that research program from observing where sharks gather to testing how they perceive their surroundings.
Residents and visitors along Florida's southeast coast may encounter blacktip sharks during the winter aggregation season. Understanding that sharks can hear sounds from far away can inform how boaters and swimmers think about nearshore activity.
The takeaway
Sharks can detect and locate low-frequency sounds from dozens of meters away, so boat noise and other sound sources in nearshore waters may reach them at distance.
Further reading
Explore more on Aquariums to see how marine species are studied and kept in Florida.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Divernet.
