Whale song mystery solved by scientists - BBC News

Scientists deduce how whales sing under the sea, and why they can be drowned out by noisy ships.

12 hours agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingImage source, Olga Filatova, University of Southern DenmarkImage caption, Humpback whale breaching near Bering Island, Kamchatka, RussiaBy Helen Briggs and Victoria GillScience correspondents, BBC NewsScientists have worked out how some of the largest whales in the ocean produce their haunting and complex songs.

Humpbacks and other baleen whales have evolved a specialised "voice box" that enables them to sing underwater.

The discovery, published in the journal Nature, has also revealed why the noise we make in the ocean is so disruptive for these ocean giants.

Whale song is restricted to a narrow frequency that overlaps with the noise produced by ships.

"Sound is absolutely crucial for their survival, because it's the only way they can find each other to mate in the ocean," explained Prof Coen Elemans, of the University of Southern Denmark, who led the study.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-68358414

---