How do animals produce sounds that have frequencies higher than their muscles can contract?

Because animal muscles cannot contract at the high speeds required to produce high-frequency sounds, many animals utilize specialized mechanisms for frequency multiplication to overcome this biological limitation.1

One common method is stridulation, where an animal drags a comblike structure over a sharp edge. A single muscle contraction causes the edge to strike successive teeth on the comb, producing a rapid sequence of sound waves that exceeds the frequency of the muscle's own movement. This technique is used by many arthropods, such as crickets and katydids, which rub hard body parts together to generate sound.1

Another mechanism involves the use of thin membranes within the respiratory system. When muscles force air past these membranes, they flutter at frequencies much higher than the airflow cycle itself. This process allows vertebrates like frogs, birds, and mammals to produce high-pitched vocalizations. Additionally, animals like cicadas use a specialized tymbal organ that clicks as muscles bend a ridged membrane, while air sacs act as resonators to amplify and sustain the resulting high-frequency sound.12