If you’ve spent any time watching Jaws or playing Hungry Shark World, you probably have a very specific sound in your head. It’s usually a low-pitched growl or a wet, guttural snarl that plays right before the bite. It makes for great cinema. It’s terrifying. It’s also completely fake.
So, what does a shark sound like in the real world?
The short answer is: silence. Total, eerie, absolute silence. Sharks are famously "silent" predators, but that isn't just a spooky metaphor used by marine biologists to sound dramatic. It’s a biological reality. Unlike whales that sing, dolphins that click, or even groupers that "boop," sharks lack the physiological hardware to talk. They don't have vocal cords. They don't have lungs to push air through a syrinx or larynx. They are essentially the mimes of the ocean, which, honestly, makes them way creepier than if they screamed.
Why sharks are the quietest neighbors in the sea
Evolution is a master of "use it or lose it." For a shark, being loud is a death sentence—or at least a "starvation sentence." They are apex predators built for stealth. To understand why asking what does a shark sound like usually results in a 0-decibel reading, you have to look at their anatomy.
Most fish that make noise use a swim bladder. They rub muscles against it like a drum to create "honks" or "drums." Sharks don't have swim bladders. Instead, they have massive, oil-filled livers that provide buoyancy. No bladder means no drum. No drum means no "oink."
👉 See also: Why People That Died on Their Birthday Are More Common Than You Think
But "silent" doesn't mean "motionless." If you were underwater with a massive Great White, you wouldn't hear a roar, but you might hear the mechanical sounds of its existence. There's the "whoosh" of water being displaced. There's the sandpaper-like grit of their dermal denticles (scales that are basically tiny teeth) rubbing against the current. If they are feeding, you’ll hear the bone-chilling crunch of cartilage and shell. It’s a soundscape of physics, not biology.
The weird exception: The "Barking" Draughtsboard Shark
Nature loves making liars out of scientists. Just when we say "sharks are silent," someone brings up the Draughtsboard shark (Cephaloscyllium isabellum), a species of catshark found around New Zealand.
When this shark feels threatened, it has a weird party trick. It gulps down water or air to inflate its body, making it harder for a predator to pull it out of a crevice. When it eventually lets that air or water out, it can produce a sound that people have described as a "bark." Is it a vocalization? No. It’s more like a burp. It’s the sound of gas escaping a pressurized tube. Think of it like a balloon losing air rather than a dog barking at a mailman. Still, if you’re diving and you hear a "bark" from a shark, it’s probably the closest thing to a "voice" you’ll ever find in the Elasmobranchii subclass.
How they "talk" without saying a word
If they can't make noise, how do they communicate? Sharks aren't just mindless eating machines drifting in a vacuum; they have complex social lives. They use body language that is incredibly sophisticated.
✨ Don't miss: Marie Kondo The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up: What Most People Get Wrong
- The Hunch: A shark that’s annoyed will often arch its back and point its pectoral fins downward. It’s the shark version of crossing your arms and glaring.
- The Gill Flare: Sometimes they’ll puff out their gills.
- Tail Slaps: Thumping the surface of the water isn't just for show; the vibrations travel for miles.
Sharks are also masters of the "silent frequency." They have a specialized sensory system called the Ampullae of Lorenzini. These are tiny pores on their snouts that detect electromagnetic fields. They don't need to hear you shout; they can "hear" your heart beating. They "see" the electricity of your muscles twitching. In a world where you can sense the literal heartbeat of your prey, screaming seems a bit redundant, doesn't it?
The myth of the roaring Great White
Pop culture is the main culprit behind the confusion. In the 1987 disaster Jaws: The Revenge, the shark famously roars as it leaps out of the water. Marine biologists collectively lost their minds over this. Sharks don't have the diaphragm required to push air with enough force to vibrate anything, even if they had vocal cords.
The sound designers for those movies often use a mix of lions, tigers, and even pigs to create those movie monsters. When you ask what does a shark sound like to a Hollywood sound editor, they’ll tell you "whatever makes the audience pee their pants." But if you’re looking for a factual answer, you have to look at the work of people like Dr. Neil Hammerschlag or the legendary Eugenie Clark. They spent thousands of hours underwater with these animals and the overwhelming consensus is: the only sound a shark makes is the sound of the environment it displaces.
Sound as a weapon against sharks
Interestingly, while sharks don't make noise, they are very sensitive to it. They have "inner ears" that are basically small holes on the top of their heads leading to a complex sensory system. They love low-frequency, irregular sounds. Why? Because a struggling, wounded fish thrashes around and creates low-frequency pulses.
🔗 Read more: Why Transparent Plus Size Models Are Changing How We Actually Shop
This is why some "shark deterrent" technology focuses on sound. Some researchers have experimented with playing the sounds of Orcas (killer whales). Since Orcas are the only real predators of Great Whites, playing back their "clicks" and "whistles" can clear a beach of sharks in minutes. The sharks hear the sound of their bullies and they head for deeper water.
What you’ll actually hear on a shark dive
If you ever go cage diving in Mossel Bay or the Farallon Islands, don't expect a soundtrack. You’ll hear:
- The bubbles from your own regulator (this is actually quite loud and annoying).
- The metallic clink of the cage hitting the boat.
- The muffled thud of a shark’s snout bumping the steel bars.
- The "snap" of a shark’s jaws closing on a piece of tuna bait.
That snap is the most real "shark sound" there is. It’s mechanical. It’s fast. It’s the sound of hundreds of serrated teeth meeting with hundreds of pounds of bite pressure. It’s not a vocalization, but it carries a very clear message.
Actionable insights for the curious
If you’re fascinated by the silent world of sharks, stop looking for "recordings" of shark roars on YouTube—they’re all fakes or clickbait. Instead, do this:
- Watch raw drone footage: Look for "shark hunting" videos without added music. You’ll see the incredible silence of their approach.
- Study Electroreception: Research the Ampullae of Lorenzini. Understanding how they "feel" the ocean explains why they don't need to "hear" it the way we do.
- Support Acoustic Tagging: Organizations like OCEARCH use acoustic tags to track sharks. These tags "ping" so we can hear where the sharks are, even if the sharks aren't saying anything themselves.
The reality of what does a shark sound like is a lesson in evolutionary perfection. They are the ultimate stealth fighters. They don't bark, they don't howl, and they don't growl. They just exist, silently, until the moment they don't. And honestly? That's way more impressive than a roar.