How do whales sing?

CGTN Europe

#Whales  can’t hit notes  like Taylor Swift or Beyonce. But they can #sing underwater! #Scientists now think they understand how it all works. Michael Marillier explains.

Transcript

00:00 Okay, pinch your nose, close your mouth and try to hum.

00:03 (humming)

00:05 Impossible, right?

00:07 But whales can do it.

00:09 (whale singing)

00:10 Scientists never understood why until now.

00:14 Baleen whales can produce sounds

00:16 almost like singing while holding their breath.

00:19 (whale singing)

00:22 New research suggests their vocal cords

00:24 rub against a special fatty cushion.

00:28 This means they can drop some beats

00:30 without even breathing.

00:31 (whale singing)

00:33 But here's the thing, most ships make a lot of noise,

00:38 usually between frequencies of 30 and 300 hertz.

00:43 These whales can't sing above 300 hertz,

00:46 so they have to compete with ships.

00:49 That's a problem because singing is a big part of their lives.

00:54 They sometimes use it to find each other.

00:56 It's also a way of communicating with their babies.

01:00 All this means we have to find ways to reduce ocean noise.

01:05 That could mean less ships in certain areas

01:08 or using ships which are quieter.

01:11 (whale singing)

01:14 (whale singing)

01:18 Either way, the whales deserve to sing.

01:22 (whale singing)

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