Why Do Whales Sing?
The mysterious songs of the largest mammals in the world
Whales have fascinated scientists and people for decades.
These amazing mammals create complex melodies that resonate through the depths of the ocean. Yet the true purpose behind these songs remains one of nature’s greatest mysteries.
In this post, we explore what science says about these symphonies.
You might be surprised to find that the reasons are as varied and complex as the melodies themselves. However, by unraveling its secrets we can understand these creatures better while also gaining a deeper appreciation for the vibrant life on our planet.
Take a deep breath and let’s dive into the secrets of their songs.
Meet The Largest Mammals On Earth
Whales are part of the cetacean order.
This includes 2 suborders: Mysticeti (baleen whales) and Odontoceti (toothed whales). The first group encompasses species like blue, fin, and humpback whales. The second group contains dolphins (Delphinae) and other toothed whales.
Cetaceans are biologically insane.
They have some of the most complex brains in the animal kingdom. Plus, they are huge. Blue whales, for example, can be 20-24 meters long. Humpback whales, on the other hand, migrate crazy distances, from the North Pole to the South. Moreover, they developed an incredibly efficient way to communicate.
Evolutionary geniuses.
Communication underwater is challenging.
In contrast with land, light and odors don’t transmit well. That’s why they can’t see or smell well. However, evolution always finds a way. Sound transmits 4 times faster than in air. Plus, it also travels longer distances.
That’s why marine mammals use sounds to communicate.
Underwater, a symphony of diverse sounds can be heard—clicks, trills, cries, etc. But there’s one that captivated humans for decades. It is one of nature’s most beautiful melodies.
The one created by the largest mammal on the planet: the song of whales.
Why Do They Sing?
It is still not well known-why, but we have some clues:
To attract females.
To coordinate migration.
To mark territory.
To community with others.
Because it is fun.
Songs are only sung by males during the mating season.
This is why many scientists think humpback whales sing to attract females (sexual selection). They can sing a long, complex, and stereotyped song that can last from 5 to 30 minutes to even hours (Payne and McVay, 1971).
Some say that they are like the songs produced by some male birds.
However, although songs as a function for sexual selection is generally agreed upon, the details of whether their primary function is to attract a mate, mediate male-male interactions, or some kind of communication are still debated (Herman, 2017).
But we do know something more:
Whale songs are evidence of culture.
Culture Transmission
In the last decades, scientists found their songs are learned and shared.
Culture can be defined as shared behavior or information within a community through some form of social learning from conspecifics (Garland and McGregor, 2020). As whale songs are a behavior learned through social learning within a community, they are considered culture.
But wait, because there’s more.
In recent years, scientists found what they now call the “song revolution“. First, Noad et al. (2000) documented how the song from the West Australian population of humpback whales suddenly appeared in the east population and rapidly replaced the existing song.
Many thought this was a unique case. But they were wrong.
10 years later, Garlent et al., (2011, 2017) have demonstrated multiple song revolutions where many song types from the East Australian population have been transmitted east across the populations in the South Pacific!
These represented a series of cultural waves and song revolutions spanning a decade.
We Must Protect Whales
We must learn from our mistakes.
Humans used to hunt these magnificent creatures intensively. Our greed almost drove them to extinction. Luckily, we took action at the right time (or because there were not more whales). Years later, humpback whales can be found almost anywhere in the world.
However, we may never recover the number of whales that existed in the past.
We didn’t only hunt but also captured them. Dolphins were the biggest victims. In the north, some decades ago, humans thought orcas were a plague stealing their fish, so they shot them. Until one day they decided to capture one.
Then, they started to exhibit them in shows.
Our ignorance led us to feed them the wrong diet, resulting in the tragic loss of many of them. Unfortunately, this continues even today. These creatures are confined to tanks, unable to swim the vast distances they would in the wild. Deprived of their natural ability to echolocate, they exhibit behaviors that are far from what they would display in their natural habitat.
We need to change this. Learning about them will make us more emphatic.
And we will also understand that extinction means gone forever.
Let’s save whales.
Animals are incredible.
They continually amaze us with their unique colors, behaviors, and the complex ecosystems they inhabit.
In Cognitive Creatures, you will discover their secrets and learn why they are crucial for our planet.
Some Questions For You
Did you know why whales sing?
What is your favorite whale? Have you ever seen them?
What animal would you like to learn about? We will write about it!
“With a greater sense of understanding comes a greater sense of wonder”. — Anil Seth.
Until the next time,
Axel and Victoria.
📚 References
Garland, E. C., & McGregor, P. K. (2020). Cultural Transmission, Evolution, and Revolution in Vocal Displays: Insights From Bird and Whale Song. Frontiers in Psychology, 11, 544929. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.544929
Garland, E. C., Goldizen, A. W., Rekdahl, M. L., Constantine, R., Garrigue, C., Hauser, N. D., et al. (2011). Dynamic horizontal cultural transmission of humpback whale song at the ocean basin scale. Curr. Biol. 21, 687–691. doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2011.03.019
Garland, E. C., Rendell, L., Lamoni, L., Poole, M. M., and Noad, M. J. (2017a). Song hybridization events during revolutionary song change provide insights into cultural transmission in humpback whales. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 114, 7822–7829. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1621072114
Herman, L. M. (2017). The multiple functions of male song within the humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) mating system: review, evaluation, and synthesis. Biol. Rev. 92, 1795–1818. doi: 10.1111/brv.12309
Noad, M., Cato, D. H., Bryden, M. M., Jenner, M., and Jenner, K. C. S. (2000). Cultural revolution in whale songs. Nature 408:537. doi: 10.1038/35046199
Payne, R. S., and McVay, S. (1971). Songs of humpback whales. Science 173, 585–597.