Residents of the port city of Southampton, located in Hampshire on the shores of the Solent Strait, have been awakened by a mysterious rumble for several months. City officials shrug their shoulders in perplexity, and scientists blame mating fish for everything.
A few months ago, the residents of Southampton first heard a strange "pulsing" noise that robbed them of sleep and rest. Worried Britons even turned to doctors to rule out tinnitus. But after a survey that showed that the mental and physical health of the townspeople was in order, people began to write complaints addressed to representatives of the city council.
“When I first heard this hum, I immediately thought I was losing my mind,” says Linda Zammit. - Now strange sounds are repeated every night if there is no wind or rain. They either wake me up in the middle of the night, or they don't let me sleep at all.
She is joined by Maria Dennett, who lives in another area of the city: “We constantly hear pulsating noise. At first, I attributed the hum to the washing machine or dishwasher that works at the neighbors', but this happens so often that now I am sure it is not about the neighbors."
Officials have confirmed that they have received more than 30 complaints from disgruntled Britons, but have not yet been able to identify the source of the loud sound. Scientists from the Scottish Association for Marine Science came to the aid of the representatives of the city council, who blamed mating fish for everything.
“Perhaps the townspeople are disturbed by the rumble emitted by the midshipman fish to attract females. These creatures are nocturnal and can buzz for two hours in order to attract the attention of females, as well as scare off competitors and calmly fertilize eggs. Unfortunately, the sounds they make are so loud that they can be heard even in homes,”said Dr. Ben Wilson.
However, officials were not satisfied with this explanation - they believe that the source of the sound can be "anything".
“Several theories have been put forward, including noises from the factory, cargo ships, aircraft and even mating fish. At the moment, we cannot find the reason for the strange hum, but we believe that it is unlikely that it is emitted by the midshipman fish. It could be anything. We plan to study the hum using monitoring equipment,”said City Councilor Davina Miller.
Promotional video: