We have completed maintenance on DiscoverMagazine.com and action may be required on your account. Learn More

The Whale that Goes

Sep 1, 2001 5:00 AMNov 12, 2019 4:53 AM

Newsletter

Sign up for our email newsletter for the latest science news
 

by Sarah C. Greene

A twangy, guitarlike sound from the depths of Australia's Great Barrier Reef has puzzled scientists and naval personnel for 15 years. Now marine biologist Jason Gedamke, working with a team from the University of California at Santa Cruz, has pinned the noise on the poorly understood dwarf minke whale.

With help from the Undersea Explorer, an Australian research vessel, Gedamke and his colleagues recorded 92 hours of sounds from dwarf minkes off the Australian coast. The boings and blings sounded so metallic that the scientists initially couldn't believe they came from whales; Gedamke describes the tones as "Star Wars vocalization." He suspects males sing to stake out acoustic territory, both to attract females and to ward off the competition, but he is just beginning to analyze these songs of the deep.

At 25 feet long, the adult dwarf minke is the second smallest baleen whale.Photograph courtesy of University of California, Santa Cruz

1 free article left
Want More? Get unlimited access for as low as $1.99/month

Already a subscriber?

Register or Log In

1 free articleSubscribe
Discover Magazine Logo
Want more?

Keep reading for as low as $1.99!

Subscribe

Already a subscriber?

Register or Log In

More From Discover
Recommendations From Our Store
Shop Now
Stay Curious
Join
Our List

Sign up for our weekly science updates.

 
Subscribe
To The Magazine

Save up to 40% off the cover price when you subscribe to Discover magazine.

Copyright © 2024 Kalmbach Media Co.