Whale song mystery solved by scientists
The humpback's song sounded so strange and haunting to sailors, they
used to think it belonged to ghosts or mythical sea creatures. Now, a study
has revealed how the animals produce their complex songs.
Researchers examined the voice boxes of three dead whales: larynxes that were
taken from a stranded minke, humpback and a sei whale. Pumping air into the
giant U-shaped structures from the whales' throats showed how they vibrate to
make a sound when air moves across them.
That's similar to how our vocal folds work, but baleen whales can recycle the air
around this specialised vocal anatomy, meaning they can sing while holding their
breath without inhaling water.
More analysis showed that the frequency of the whale song overlaps with the noise
ships produce, so the sound of human activity in the ocean can interrupt
communication that's essential to these animals' lives.