Whales are very social animals, traveling in groups called pods, and they fill the water with sound. They use it to find their way, to find food and to find one another. Some pods even have their own dialects.
A humpback whale in the singing position. Credit: NOAA.
Three kinds of sound
| Sound | What it is thought to be for |
|---|---|
| Clicks | navigating and sensing surroundings: the sound bounces off an object and returns, letting the whale work out its shape — even telling friend from predator. Clicks have also been heard during social interactions, so they may carry messages too. |
| Whistles | social activities |
| Pulsed calls | social activities; more frequent, and to human ears they sound like squeaks, screams and squawks |
Dialects
Different pods within the same whale population have been found to have different vocal "dialects." Most likely, these help whales tell members of their own pod from strangers.
Speaking without a voice
Whales also communicate nonverbally, slapping the surface of the water with their tails and fins. The sound can be heard hundreds of meters below the surface. It may be a warning of aggression — or a way to scare schools of fish together into an easier meal.
Listening in
In the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary, NOAA scientists have attached sensors to whales to track their movements. They hope to learn about whales' behavior and communication, and how human activity affects that behavior.
Sources
Based on "Why do whales make sounds?" from NOAA's National Ocean Service, a work of the United States government in the public domain.
Licence: CC0 1.0 (public domain) · Adapted from oceanservice.noaa.gov
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