(Image source: Wikimedia Commons)

BY TRACY PFEIFFER

ANCHOR CHRISTINA HARTMAN

You're watching multisource science video news analysis from Newsy.

A new study has declared the lesser water boatman -- an insect that lives in water -- the loudest creature on earth relative to its body size.

This is the insect in question -- about three quarters of an inch in size and able to produce 99.2 decibels of noise meant to attract mates. (Image: The Sun)

If that number doesn’t sound like much -- Wired UK puts it into perspective.

“99.2 decibels … is the equivalent of sitting in the front row of a loud, full-blown orchestra, or standing 15 meters away from a hurtling freight train.”

But perhaps even more interesting than its capacity for volume -- is how it makes the noise. Here’s io9.

“To make this sound ... the water boatman scrubs its penis along ridges on its abdomen. It does this fast and forcefully enough so that the sound is the equivalent to sitting in the front row of a concert hall while a symphony is being played.”

Rubbing body parts together to create noise is called “stridulation,” and is also seen in creatures like grasshoppers.

The Telegraph quotes a researcher who explains why a water boatman wouldn’t blow your ears out on a stroll by the river.

"Remarkably, even though 99% of sound is lost when transferring from water to air, the song is so loud that a person walking along the bank can actually hear these tiny creatures singing from the bottom of the river."

Finally -- a writer for Discovery News explains -- the findings aren’t just humorous -- they’ll have an application too.

“James Windmill, one of the researchers who made the discovery, notes that a better understanding of the discovery could lead to new acoustic devices like smaller sonar systems for unmanned underwater vehicles or miniaturized ultrasound probes for medical applications.”

Transcript by Newsy.