Bizarre reason for thunderous rumble in Hudson River revealed by scientists in eerie video

Sturgeons’ booty calls apparently have a bass beat.Scientists have discovered that the huge, Volkswagen-sized fish have been making thunderous, rumbling sounds while getting it on in the Hudson River, per a raunchy study published in the journal Endangered Species Research.“It’s almost that you feel it more than you hear it,” study co-author Maija Niemistö, of the New York State Water Resources Institute, said in a press release. “You can hear these chirps and squirts and bubbles underwater, but this is a different experience entirely.”The researchers happened upon eardrum-busting cacophony while eavesdropping on the mating habits of the Atlantic sturgeon, an endangered species that can grow to 14 feet long and live up to 60 years.During their reproductive process, the female can release up to 2 million eggs into the water, which the males fertilize externally by broadcasting milt — a sperm-filled fluid — into the water nearby.In other words, the randy river monsters don’t actually get fin-to-fin while hooking upBy using underwater microphones placed in the prehistoric giants’ suspected spawning grounds in the Hudson, they were able to record this long-distance romance for the first time ever.Accompanying audio captures the underwater rumbling, which evokes a train passing overhead.It’s yet unclear what causes sturgeons to bring the thunder down under, whether it be actual sex sounds or a form of intraspecies pillow talk.Lead author Rebecca Cohen, of the K.Lisa Yang Center for Conservation Bioacoustics at Cornell, theorized that the resonance could be caused by jostling of the sturgeon’s swim bladder as it thrashes against the females during mating — a behavior that’s been observed at the hatchery.However, more research is needed to confirm the source of the sturgeon’s alleged sexual soundtrack, Scientific American reported.Researchers weren’t just recording the amorous acoustics for kicks; the recordings allow researchers to p...