SONG OF THE HUMPBACK

A Herman Melville, the writer of the famous whale story Moby Dick, once wrote that humpback whales were “the most lighthearted1 of all the whales.” A favorite of whale watchers everywhere, they often swim in ocean areas close to land and are active at the surface. They can often be seen breaching, or rising out of the water, and then coming down with a great splash. Humpbacks are intelligent animals, and can be seen working together to hunt schools of small fish. And, if you listen closely, you might even hear one singing.

Recording Gentle Giants

Marine biologist2 Jim Darling has studied the songs of humpback whales for more than 25 years. While recording whale songs on a boat near Hawaii, he invited author Douglas Chadwick to experience diving with a humpback. In the water, Chadwick heard the whale’s songs in a way he had never heard them before. “Suddenly, I no longer heard the whale’s voice in my ears,” he said. “I felt it inside my head and bones.”

When swimming with the whale, Chadwick could see that it was aware of him, but not worried by his presence. The 13-meter-long giant looked him over3 curiously, but never harmed him. The whale then swam under the boat. It pointed its head down to the ocean floor and, with flippers4 extended out to its sides, began to sing. Up in the boat, Darling recorded the whale’s song. Humpback whale songs can be long and complex, sometimes lasting for 30 minutes or more. They are perhaps the longest songs sung by any animal.

Why Do They Sing?

Darling says that only male humpbacks sing, but for unknown reasons. One idea is that they sing to attract females. However, when a group of scientists played recordings of whale songs in the ocean, female whales did not respond. Another idea is that male humpbacks use their songs to let other males know they are in the area.

Researchers have also found that humpback whale songs are different in different parts of the world, perhaps like whale national anthems.5 They may also be like hit tunes on the radio, changing over time— from one year to the next, or even over a single breeding season.

There is still so much the scientists don’t know, and years of study lie ahead for whale researchers like Jim Darling. “Why do I do it?” he wonders aloud. “Human beings like puzzles. I want to know.” Another member of the research team, photographer Flip Nicklin, recalls a special moment he had while interacting with a humpback. While he was snorkeling some distance from the huge animal, it approached him until it was just a few meters away.

It then gently carried Nicklin toward its eye with a flipper, as if examining him. Apparently, the desire to understand a different species goes both ways.