I’m not trying to brag, but I have pretty great hearing. I’m a bit of an expert eavesdropper. But it turns out a mouse puts me to shame when it comes to listening.
Mice aren’t the only animals way ahead of us when it comes to hearing. The next time you’re on a farm, consider this: Sheep, horses and cows all have a larger range of hearing than we do. Horses even turn their ears toward the sound to help them hear.
Your pets are also much better at hearing than you are –– both cats and dogs have larger ranges of hearing than humans. Dogs can even tell the difference between your footsteps and those of a stranger.
At the top of the list, we have porpoises. These mammals hear through their lower jawbones and a have an impressive range of 75 to 150,000 Hz.
In case you’re feeling inferior, elephants, owls and goldfish are all ranked lower than humans when it comes to perceiving sounds.
If you’re interested in learning even more about hearing, check out our post on the human ear and its various parts.