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What range of sound frequencies can otophysan fishes hear?
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ostariophysan
Knifefish, or featherback (Xenomystus nigri)
The normal frequency range detectable by otophysan fishes is from 16 to 7,000 hertz (cycles per second). For some characins, this range extends to a maximum of 10,000 hertz.1
This acute sense of hearing is made possible by the Weberian apparatus, a specialized chain of bones that connects the swim bladder to the inner ear. By transmitting pressure changes from the swim bladder to the ear, this system functions similarly to a hydrophone, granting these fishes a level of sensitivity that exceeds that of any other group of fish.123