To divers, the underwater world is silent, and we call the ocean the “silent deep.” But to a fish, the underwater world isn’t silent at all, for fish can “hear” other fish moving through the water and even “hear” the water itself moving.
Fish do not have ears, as animals do, but they do have a structure inside their head that is very much like our own inner ear. This structure is sensitive to vibrations in the water, such as those made by another fish.
Tests have shown that some fish are sensitive to ordinary sounds too. Catfish can probably hear everything we hear!
Kwa wavuvi, ulimwengu wa chini ya maji ni kimya, na sisi huita bahari "kinywa kimya". Lakini kwa samaki, ulimwengu wa chini ya maji si kimya kabisa, kwa sababu samaki wanaweza "kusikia" samaki wengine wakisonga ndani ya maji na hata "kusikia" maji yenyewe yakisonga. Samaki hawana masikio kama wanyama, lakini wana muundo ndani ya kichwa chao unaofanana sana na sikio letu la ndani. Muundo huo huathiriwa na miendo ya maji, kama vile ile inayotokezwa na samaki mwingine. Uchunguzi umeonyesha kwamba samaki fulani huathiriwa pia na sauti za kawaida. Yaelekea samaki-mwitu wanaweza kusikia kila kitu tunachosikia!