Residents in West Seattle have been plagued for days by a strange humming noise that scientists believe could be the sound of mating fish.
Residents have been wondering if the hum came from nature of nearby industries, and Julie Schickling of West Seattle even recorded the noise, which sounds a lot like the music used to build up tension in a horror movie, according to The Oregonian .
Schickling described the noise, saying, “It gets high and lower, and goes away, then comes back.” Some of her neighbors report the low rumble shaking them out of bed.
Thanks to biologists and the University of Washington, the humming mystery may be solved, as the biologists believe the hum comes from a midshipman fish. The midshipman, a fairly ugly bottom dweller, sends out a distinct mating call, which sounds eerily familiar to the sound recorded by Schickling.
The Examiner notes that the strange humming sounds in Seattle have been heard off and on since 2009, and residents have been struggling to discover the source since then. This time around, the humming emerged around Labor Day weekend, and shows no signs of subsiding.
King-5 also notes that some of Julie Schickling’s neighbors also described the noise as a growl, and Kay Kirkpatrick stated that, “It is kind of creepy. It creeps you out a little bit.”
Some believe that residents may never know for sure if the strange humming in West Seattle is the midshipman fish, or if it could even be from a nearby factory.
Have you heard the strange humming in West Seattle? What do you think it could be? Listen here , then let us know!