"pod-cast": The Song Of The Whale

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Whales have always been known for their "singing

," that is, the unique sounds that they give off. But for years now, many have been baffled as to exactly why do whales sing. There have been a number of hypotheses, from it being a mating call to actually a manner of communication, but no theory has yet to be proven conclusive.

Apart from the question of why do whales sing, there is also the question of how exactly they do it. This is because whales do not have vocal cords, so the answer as to how these marine mammals produce their distinctive vocalizations (if that is indeed the right term for it) remains elusive. What has been known though is that whales do not have to exhale in order to sing, which suggests that they may be capable of recycling the air inside their bodies.

The "song" of the whale usually lasts around 30 minutes and is made up of repetitions of moaning, whistling and clicking sounds classified as so-called "phrases." The long-standing theory that suggest breeding and mating purposes as to why do whales sing is due to the fact that only male whales have been observed to sing. Aside from this though, there is very little to substantiate a connection between mating and singing.

It has recently been postulated by scientist Eduardo Mercado III that the whale's song may actually be a form of echolocation. Supposedly, whales are capable of identifying locations through listening to the sound distortion in the arriving waves. Also, in connection to the mating theory, Mercado posited the male whales sing to seek out the females, who are waiting to be found. Again, there is no sufficient proof to support this claim, but it has gained growing acceptance among the circle of whale researchers.
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A particularly unusual characteristic of the whale's song is that a specific pod of whales would be singing its own song, but it would change every season. Studies have shown that while certain phrases are repeated, none of the songs sung from a period of 2 years are exactly the same. Some theories have put forth that the singing is a means of distinguishing pods, while others have suggested that it is indeed a means of communicating a historical record of some sort. Either way, this seems to indicate that whales are possessed of an intelligence that is not normally attributed to any other mammalian species apart from the human race.

While the query of why do whales sing has yet to be decisively answered, each argument presented does contain some kernel of truth. Certainly, the conservation of the endangered whale species must be ensured in order for scientists to continue delving into this ongoing mystery. At the same time, the idea of the whales' song as an indication of their intelligence should be grounds for guaranteeing their continued survival.

by: Brian Jones

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