Did you know that whales can sing?
This recording is from Dr. Roger Payne in a groundbreaking vinyl from the 1970's that kicked off global efforts to save whales.
Humpback whales are not the only ocean animal that use their voices for underwater communication.
Many ocean animals use sound to communicate because sound waves travel faster underwater than they do through the air.
You may be surprised to learn that sound can travel sometimes thousands of miles underwater without the sound waves degrading. This has to do with an interesting interaction with both pressure and temperature.
As the sound waves travel deeper into colder water they slow down and the sound waves refract downward, once they hit something called a thermocline layer (a layer of water that changes quickly in both temperature and depth) it reaches the slowest it can travel. However, just below that thermocline layer the temperature is stable but the pressure increases rapidly. Here the sound waves actually speed up which forces the sound waves to refract back upward!
This up and down refraction is part of why sound can travel so far and so quickly in water without losing much energy.
Humpback whales are known for their complex songs, sung by males, and repeated over and over again gradually changing over time by all Humpback whales in an ocean basin. This means that all the Humpback whales in the Atlantic ocean sing the same song, but the song is always gradually changing. And the Humpback whales in the Pacific ocean sing their song, but it is different than the Atlantic ocean song. It is a little bit how pop music changes for humans over time, what is popular for a whale also changes!
All whales use sound for communication, but Humpback whales are unique in the complexity, structure, and variation in their songs. Scientists have yet to discover what the Humpback whales are singing and why, usually offering up the standard answers relating to food and mating.
Our children's book 'Whalesong' explores the Humpback whale's use of music as communication, and brings to the surface the sad reality that due to human interference, the songs of whales are getting quieter and not reaching as far. This can lead to beached whales, ship strikes, and stress causing whales to have fewer babies, starve, or even get lost.
I will link below to some ocean conservation organizations where you can donate or learn more about whale songs.
And nothing (not even amazing children's books....) can compare to the real experience of seeing whales in person. If you ever get a chance to go whale watching it is a must-try activity.
It is never too early to get children involved in environmental volunteering - an easy way to do this from the comfort of your own home is through a ocean conservation organization called Zooniverse. Here you and your children can conduct real Marine Biology research by helping scientists identify individual Humpback whales. Each Humpback whale has a unique "fingerprint" which are markings on their flukes (tails). Tracking individual whales helps keep record of population size, as well as identifying migrating patterns and pathways which can lead to better understanding and conservation.
If you are lucky enough to go whale watching somewhat regularly you can also use Happywhale. This ocean conservation organization also tracks whale populations through citizen scientists submitting their photos of Humpback whale flukes.
As always, the best way to help the environment, and pass the passion down to our children is through learning, exploring, reducing plastic and waste, and spreading the word.
Here are a few other ocean conservation organizations to explore with your children:
WDC - For 30 years they have successfully been campaigning and researching whales and dolphins in all the oceans. You can adopt, join, donate or shop to help support their important efforts.
NOAA's Ocean Gaurdian Youth Ambassador Program - Here your child can apply to be an ocean ambassador and have access to special webinars and programs, lead projects and ocean conservation workshops, amongst other amazing opportunities.
Pacific Whale Foundation - A ocean conservation organization that has been operating for 45 years. A favorite for eco-tours around the Hawaiian islands. In fact this is where I first heard mother whales talking to their babies!
Whalesong - I would be remiss if I didn't plug our children's book "whalesong"! One of the best ways to education children is through stories and pretty pictures. We here at Flatfish poured our hearts into this project to tell an important story of being lost, and finding the way back home alongside some of the ocean's most majestic creatures.
Free downloadable content - Flatfish Publishing Originals - For your littles who might be too small for the other ocean conservation activities - here are some original coloring pages that explores ocean conservation (NO AI USED FOR ART...EVER). To download: use the two finger click on the image to save to your desktop and then print.
