The auditory brainstem response (ABR) has been reported in a variety of mammalian species. I have published ABR studies in mammalian species including humans, gerbils, cats, rats, bats, and mice. In many cases, the non-human work was designed to extend observations made in humans. I will discuss data that addresses the variability in the slope of the ABR latency/intensity function across animal species. I will compare ABRs in humans and in gerbils to stimulus manipulations such as click level, click rate, noiseburst risetime and level of masking noise. I will discuss the effects of high stimulus rates across age in the kitten/cat, and compare this to reports in humans from the literature. I will end by discussing my views of the advantages as well as the challenges of using animal models when interested in human normative or pathologic processes.