By: Hailey | Last updated February 13, 2019 
While we might be the most evolved species on Earth, it’s not our keen senses that got us where we are today. While you might boast on your hearing abilities, you might want to know that you are not even close to having an impressive hearing. You are just human. Our hearing range is 20 Hz to 20 kHz, on average. There are however animals that have amazing hearing capacities, way beyond ours. Here are some of them:
Cats and dogs. Yes, out domesticated felines have a great hearing. Their ears are controlled by almost 30 muscles and they can rotate their ears 180 degrees. By comparison, you should know that our ear has only 3 muscles involved. Dogs are also gifted in terms of hearing, especially compared to their two-legged owners. Dogs can even hear the vibrations termites emit inside building walls. Also, they are capable of moving their ears independently one from another.
Bats. We all know how bats look like: they always seem to be drunk and disoriented. That’s because they have a poor eyesight. But don’t let that make you think less of them, because nature likes to keep a balance in everything, Bats compensate through their really amazing hearing abilities. Actually, that’s how they know how to move and where to go. They emit a sort of whistle that guides them. Those sound vibrations bounce off any close by surfaces so they know where possible obstacles are and where to go. This sound guiding system they’re using is called echolocation. Dolphins use it too and they have a frequency range of 75Hz to 150 kHz.
Elephants. Well, those big ears of theirs must be good for something! Elephants have a frequency range of 16 Hz – 12 kHz and they can hear lower frequencies way better than humans, 20 times better to be more exact. They also use their ears as an air conditioner, regulating their body temperature and keeping them cooler.
The greater wax moth. This little guy might just have the greatest hearing in the world, according to scientists. This seemingly useless and helpless being has a greater hearing than bats, in terms of high frequencies, and hears 150 better than humans. Its frequency is up to 300 kHz.
Spiders. Spiders have a very sensitive hearing, especially when it comes to low frequencies. Studies revealed that they can hear human clapping from a distance of 5 meters. In order to hear that well, they use the hairs on their forelegs.
Rats. While they may be small and helpless in front of their number one enemy, the cat, they do have an advantage over their feline hunters: their hearing range is above that of cats: 200 Hz to 76 kHz.
Pigeons. Pigeons are very good at hearing lower frequencies or infrasound (0.5 Hz). Their amazing hearing helps them sense earthquakes, volcanoes and storms from far away. They also have a great natural ‘GPS’, ranking among the best navigators on Earth.
