The world's loudest animal is the tiny star-nosed mole. It can scream at an astonishing 300 decibels, but only when it is attacked. Since it lives almost its entire life underground these screams are almost never heard. But occasionally they come to the surface and are attacked by a predator or found by a human. In 2000, a 63-year old woman found a mole in apparent distress and attempted to help, but when she picked it up it screamed so loud that she burst an eardrum.