Veterinary ultrasound can be applied both visually (via ultrasound imaging) or audibly (as a form of communication within the animal kingdom). A slightly unconventional example of the latter can be seen following an investigation on a particular mammal called the tenrec, creatures that show similarities to hedgehogs, opossums and mice, to name but a few (Wikipedia).

This investigation (2011) was carried out following filming of the streaked tenrecs in their natural habitat by the BBC, and revealed that ultrasound waves were released following contact between the quills covering the tenrecs backs using a bat detector. The full article can be read by clicking here, but has been mentioned here as this investigation was important in demonstrating and capturing that this kind of behaviour is carried out by mammals.

This behaviour is called stridulation, and has been the subject both directly and indirectly of many published research studies in a variety of animals including but not limited to insects such as crickets and catfishes. As described with tenrecs, stridulation requires contact via rubbing between different areas of the body creating noise (Wikipedia). Although the example with the tenrec includes quills on their back, different animals use different body parts.

Stridulation is often used as a form of communication between animals, and can even be used during mating, an observation that has been known to scientists for many years. One such example of this is from a particular type of cockroach that uses this type of behaviour during the mating process, the topic of a research paper published in 1967 – almost half a century’s worth of knowledge there! A somewhat useless yet interesting piece of trivia here is the fact that a chirp (such as that emitted by a cricket) is a good description of the type of noise that stridulation can create (Wikipedia).

In sum, our quest to increase our veterinary ultrasound knowledge has led us to examine a well-established technique used by a variety of animals in several different ways. Nevertheless if you are interested in utilising ultrasound imaging, whether it be for a dog, sheep or cow feel free to contact us for more information or look at the relevant sections on our website.