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Soundscape: Life in the mangroves
audio , soundscapes posted by listentoafrica on Nov 12th, 2009
We recorded this just after dawn in the mangrove forest on the banks of The River Gambia, placing the microphones on a tripod among the mangrove roots to try and capture the astonishing pops, clicks and drips coming from them. We think the pops and clicks are created by crustaceans but if anyone knows for certain, we’d love to find out so please let us know in the comments! Best listened to in stereo.
Date and time recorded: 08:05 local time, 16th October 2009
Location: Tendaba, The Gambia ( view on map )
Equipment: Sennheiser MKH30/40 to Fostex FR2LE
Copyright: Listen to Africa
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amazing! i really want to know now what those clicks are, they sound so much nearer than all the other layers of sound.
dafx
I recorded clicks like these in mangroves on the coast of northern Australia, and found that they came from small crabs about 2.5 cm diameter. Don’t know how they actually made the sound though. Enjoyed your recording!
I’ve found an article on how the mangrove crabs produce clicks but it’s still no clearer to me… It’s likely to be the boys using tubercles and setae (lumps and bumps) on their front legs to produce the sound in order to ward off other males and attract the ladies. – it seems to work, I for one find the sound very attractive and have now decided to visit a mangrove and see one of these boys for myself. This my new favourite recording so far, not least because there’s an oooo-oooo-oo-oo-oo-oo pigeon hidden in the background which should make for several hours discussion in the pub later. Brilliant stuff, nxx
Ooh brilliant – thank you both! Netty, it seems the clicks really do work – I was drawn towards the mangroves to record the clicks, while Huw was repelled back towards the hut where all the coffee was… Spooky.