Researchers may have figured out baleen whales’ beautiful underwater sounds. A specific voice box is responsible for their unique vocalisations, revealing how these majestic creatures communicate.
To study the larynxes of three stranded baleen whales—a humpback, minke, and sei—Coen Elemans from the University of Southern Denmark and colleagues examined a Nature study. In controlled trials, scientists blew air through voice boxes to locate the vibrating tissues. Sei whale vocalisations were compared to computer models and natural recordings.
Baleen whales’ ancestors lived on land 50 million years ago and throughout time modified their voice boxes to make underwater noises. Teeth and vocal cords are absent in these whales. U-shaped tissue in their voice boxes lets them breathe deeply. A layer of fat and muscle unique to these whales presses on the tissue during singing.
Stanford University’s assistant professor of oceanography, Jeremy Goldbogen, called the study the most comprehensive on baleen whale vocalisation. Due to whales’ wide range of auditory repertoires, especially humpbacks, which are known for their intricate songs that can be heard throughout oceans, more research is needed.
Even with the large number of whale songs, modelling reveals they cannot outperform shipping industrial noise. This is concerning because maritime noise severely hinders whale communication and mating sounds.
The University of Queensland Centre for Marine Science’s director, Michael Noad, warned of the potential effects on whale populations, particularly Antarctic blue whales. Noise pollution may hinder their ability to find companions in a louder ocean. The study focused on immature whales, but older males, the major vocalists, are needed for definitive results. A researcher from the Centre for Anatomy and Functional Morphology at the Icahn School of Medicine in New York, Joy Reidenberg, acknowledged the limitations of current technology but stressed the importance of laboratory experiments in understanding whale communication. These pieces of research reveal the mysteries of underwater whale songs as technology advances.
