Off the coast of New Zealand, humpback whales sing karaoke

[Judi Lynn]

Nearly 700 miles north of the New Zealand coast lies Raoul Island, where the whales meet to learn one another’s songs, finds Cara Giaimo

Cara Giaimo
5 hours ago



Scientists are puzzled as to why whales are going out of their way to learn new songs ( iStock )
Humpback whales spend the summer in cold, high-latitude feeding areas. In the winter, when it’s time to mate, they return to the exact tropical spot where they were born. And when they get there, the males sing a tune common to that breeding ground, almost as if it’s a local jingle or a college fight song.

But a study published in Royal Society Open Science reports there’s at least one place where whales mix it up: Raoul Island, nearly 700 miles off the northeast coast of New Zealand. Humpback whales from the South Pacific tend to stop there for a few days on their way from various breeding grounds in places like Tonga and New Caledonia to their feeding ground near Antarctica.

While they’re hanging out near Raoul Island, they do something researchers hadn’t seen: whales from each breeding ground share their songs and learn one another’s. In other words, it’s a humpback karaoke spot.

The music made by male humpback whales is rich and haunting, mixing disparate pitches and textures. These sounds are an object of fascination for experts and laypeople alike, and they have been the subject of at least one best-selling album. Researchers aren’t entirely sure why whales sing, although most agree that it has something to do with courtship. (Female humpbacks, which make interesting sounds of their own, seem to take the songs into account when choosing mates.)

More:
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/humpback-whales-sing-karaoke-new-zealand-a9138326.html

[Cracklin Charlie]

1. I want to be a whale in my next life.

I love them.

[2naSalit]

2. I think they have a

far more advance intellect than we will ever assign to them. They may simply be checking to see who made it through the gambit of pollution zones and military sonar use and seeing who's going where for the season. Maybe they are talking about how to get rid of us.