The weird humming noise in this British town turned out to be fish sex

kathleenreedOf course these fish are butt ugly, too.

In Hampshire, England, a pulsating hum has been freaking people out, and keeping them up at night. It’s creepy. Since it’s the end of October, your first thought should be “it’s ghosts, right?” But no. It’s fish. It’s fish trying to get laid.

The Independent:

Scientists now think that the noise is being caused by fish, competing to out-hum one another as part of an unusual mating ritual.

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Male Midshipman fish let out a deep, resonating drone which attracts females and acts as a challenge to other males. They are nocturnal creatures, but once they get going can keep up the distracting hum all night.

Although Britain does seem to have an unusual number of weird animal problems, this one has come up in America, too, last year in Seattle. The humming, if you’re wondering (and of course you are), sounds sort of like a really, really annoying dial tone. Or “the drone of bees or maybe even the chanting of monks.” Listen for yourself:

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Sexy.