The adult blue whale can reach lengths of ninety feet and weigh as much as one hundred fifty tons! Therefore, it is not surprising that blue whales produce the loudest and deepest sounds among animal species. The moans of blue whales are complex sounds that can be lower than the audible limits of the human ear. These sounds are so powerful that they can travel across the ocean. And because their hearing is incredibly sensitive, it can be said that blue whales have been “communicating” with each other over thousands of miles underwater.
A smaller species, the humpback whale, can emit a variety of sounds with a melodious quality: moans, snorts, shrills, murmurs, clicks, whistles, babbling, grumbling, growling, sobbing, whispering, and even thunderous sounds. Humpback whales are also known for their playful antics. They sing. In fact, they can produce many different sounds with a melodious quality: moans, snorts, shrills, murmurs, clicks, whistles, babbling, grumbling, growling, sobbing, whispering, and even thunderous sounds.
The songs of humpback whales are mesmerizing. They sing the same tune repeatedly, note by note, during their mating season in the warm waters off Hawaii, Baja California, and the Caribbean. Members of the same whale group always sing the same song, or something very similar. Hence, the Pacific humpback whales sing one song, while the Atlantic humpback whales sing another. Remarkably, each year, their songs are different. After eight months of traveling far for food, the whales return to their warm waters to sing the resonant aria of the previous year and add several entirely new sections.
