Sharks love heavy metal and rock music and have a particular appetite for AC/DC, according to a new book.
The authors of The Mice Who Sing For Sex: And Other Weird Tales From The World Of Science claim studies show that sharks are drawn to the low frequency pulsing sounds (20-60 cycles/second) of heavy metal.
The book also claims great white sharks particularly favoured the AC/DC songs You Shook Me All Night Long and If You Want Blood (You Got It), becoming calmer and less aggressive when the tracks were played to them.
Radio X DJ Lliana Bird and neuroscientist Dr Jack Lewis wrote the book, which is released on October 8 (Thursday) via Amazon Media.
Other discoveries highlighted in the book include the results of a 2013 study in Japan which showed how four fish were trained to show their powers of recognition by giving them food in return for tugging a red bead in their aquarium whenever they heard a certain piece of music.
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The authors say: “Two were played Bach and two Stravinsky. The fish were able to recognise the music, knowing the difference between the composers. Further tests showed that some fish indicated a preference for one composer over another.”
And a 2015 study revealed cats prefer to chill out to classical music. When they were played Samuel Barber’s ‘Adagio for strings’ they were distinctly more relaxed. When they were played rock they appeared to become more stressed. Scientists believe the tempo of classical music matches the frequency of their own purring.
The book also reveals that mice sing to their partners before they mate, with male mice initiating the serenade before the females join in.
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