The noisy mating call of an amorous fish is believed to have been keeping people awake in Southampton in the UK.
New Forest District Council has received some 30 complaints from residents reporting a “pulsating hum” and some have even visited the doctor, believing they were suffering from tinnitus.
The culprits see to be the midshipman fish, which can produce a sonorous drone is of such a low frequency and long wavelength that it can carry through the ground, walls and homes.
The noise is emitted by males hoping to attract a mate, and a nearby estuary in Hythe is thought to have been turned into a hotbed of lusty fish sex.
It has been known to go on for hours and often increases in volume as competing males attempt to out-hum each other. The noise can also be amplified by the sound bouncing off buildings and ships.
