What is the loudest animal in the world? It depends, but it's one of these two giants.

The familiar feeling after coming back from a concert is one of muffled or ringing ears. Our ears are sensitive to sound, and damaged or injured eardrums are a real threat to our well-being.

But could an animal’s call actually damage human ears?

The loudest animal in the world isn't your dog, and it's definitely not your baby — even though their screams may seem ear-splitting. Read on to discover the animal with the loudest call, and the debate about how we should be measuring loudness.

What is the loudest animal in the world?

The sperm whale is the loudest animal in the world. Still, there's a bit of a debate between two animals because of the subjective way we perceive loudness.

Do you measure the loudest animal by the decibels they register or by the impact of the sound itself? The dispute comes down to two animals: the blue whale and the sperm whale.

It's also between Hertz and decibels as measuring units. Hertz measures sound frequency, while decibels measure sound pressure or perceived loudness. Sound frequency is determined by the way sound waves oscillate when they travel to our ears. High-frequency sounds can be squeaky or high-pitched, sometimes uncomfortable noises like screaming, whistles, nails on a chalkboard or glass breaking, according to Attune. But the loudness, or amount of energy in noise, is measured by decibels.

According to BBC, the sperm whale is perceived to be louder than the blue whale. A blue whale's call is 20 Hz and a sperm whale’s click is about 10,000 Hz. The sperm whale registers at 230 dB while the blue whale is at 188 dB.

“For us to hear blue whale calls, they must be made at an intensity of 70 dB or more,” BBC writer Ella Davies reports. “But for sperm whale clicks, the human hearing threshold is around 15 dB.”

But the other factor is duration — a sperm whale’s click only lasts 100 microseconds while a blue whale call can last up to 30 seconds, BBC reports. Sound is also perceived differently underwater because water is denser than air. It travels faster and further in the water.

So the sperm whale is technically louder, but if you perceive sound based on combined loudness and duration, the blue whale is a close contender.

What is the loudest land animal in the world?

The loudest land animal is the bulldog bat, whose sound registers at 140 dB. According to Cochlea.org, that’s outside of the threshold the human ear can hear.

Bulldog bats are native to Central and South America and are named after their similarities to bulldogs: full lips and a flat, square muzzle.

How loud is a dog bark?

An average dog bark is between 80-90 dB, Industrial Safety & Hygiene News reports. But kennel owners beware: a chorus of barking dogs can reach up to 115 dB. This falls just below the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s threshold of noise that can cause immediate harm to ears at 120 dB.

According to the Guinness World Records, the loudest dog bark measured at about 113 dB. The dog, a golden retriever named Charlie, called the record-breaking bark at the Purina Bark in the Park event in Australia in 2012.

How loud can a human yell?

The loudest human yell ever recorded was 129 dB by Jill Drake, a classroom assistant in the United Kingdom. A normal conversation is measured at about 60 dB, according to the CDC.

What is the loudest noise ever?

The loudest noise ever is thought to be the eruption of Indonesian volcanic island Krakatoa in 1883. The noise was so loud that it shattered the eardrums of the crew on a British ship about 40 miles away. About 100 miles away, the eruption measured at over 172 dB, Nautilus writes.

The explosion was heard by people in over 50 different locations, spanning a 13th of the globe. As the sound traveled thousands of miles, it was heard not as a note for human ears but as spikes in air pressure.

How other loud noises measure in decibels

At about 70 dB, the CDC says you may feel annoyed by the noise. At 140 dB, pain and ear injury will occur.

• City traffic from inside a car: 80-85 decibels

• Motorcycle: 95 decibels

• Approaching subway train: 100 decibels

• Sporting events: 100 decibels

• Standing beside or near sirens: 120 decibels

• Firecrackers: 140-150 decibels

Deadliest creatures: This animal kills the most humans per year

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: What is the loudest animal in the world? Two giants vie for the honor.