Enormous Online Library Catalogues 150,000 Animal Sounds

Flamingos Wikimedia Commons

The Cornell Lab of Ornithology just released an online archive filled with thousands of animal noises. The archive doesn't have everything--it mostly focuses on birds--but you could still waste a whole afternoon or more sifting through the aural wonders of Earth's many species. To wit: Did you know that a singing walrus sounds like a Tommy gun followed by a tiny spaceship floating away?

And did you know katydids make noises? Song-like noises, even.

You can also search by taxonomy, meaning you can peruse, at your leisure, the subtle differences between the Chilean flamingo:

And its American counterpart:

Or, enjoy the otherworldly squeak of the Montezuma Oropendola:

There are a total of 150,000 audio recordings here, covering about 9,000 species. That's more than 7,500 hours of squawks, squeaks, and roars there for your enjoyment.

[Macaulay Library via Live Science]