More than music
By Michael Bhardwaj

Whale music: It’s a well-flogged title often reserved for new-age soundtracks where the pops, clicks and moans of these graceful mammals are underscored with the hollow notes of a synthesizer.

But underneath the whines of whale song is a legacy of scientific research probing beyond the music to find the meaning.

Because light penetrates only a few metres into the ocean, whales rely solely on sound to navigate, find food, locate others and above all, serenade mates.

Many species of whales sing within the hearing range of humans; think of the Humpback whose lilting song ghosts through the underwater environment. As strange as it might seem, the song of the male Humpback serves the purpose of calling in nearby females.

But the ocean is a big place. And most whale species live solitary lives, scattered across the thousand miles of the deep blue sea.

Marine mammals rely on sound to communicate in the murky depths of the world's oceans. (Artist: Bob Hines, US Fish and Wildlife Service)

When spring dawns and mating season is in full swing, lonely whales like the fin and blue whale rely on song as a means of communicating with others. Unlike Humpbacks, their songs will never be heard, simply because we can’t hear them.

To stretch across the vast distances of the ocean, these whale species produce ultra-low frequency songs that are more vibration than sound. We can’t hear them. But we can feel them.

To hear examples and learn more about the science behind the sound, read the full story.

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