After eight years of work, marine biologists have managed to record the song of the North Pacific right whale, an endangered species.
He is about to end up run over, his mother saves himAfter a job that lasted more than eight years, marine biologists have succeeded in record the songs of one of the rarest whales on the planet, the Pacific right whale.
Due to the action of the hunters, only 30 examples still exist belonging to this Pacific whale species.
The song of the Pacific right whale
I biologi marini della National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) hanno North Pacific right whale song recorded for the first time (Eubalaena japonica), one of the rarest whales on the planet. Due to the action of hunters, unfortunately there are still only 30 whale specimens of this species in the Pacific. The right whale moves slowly and is easy to hunt and although since 1935 it has been a protected species, illegal hunting did not stop, leading the species to the threshold of extinction.
Whales are known to make sounds, but the song of this species had never been recorded until now. In 2010, NOAA researchers noticed strange sound patterns they couldn't identify and thought it might be the right whale.
They followed eight years of recording in five different areas off the southwestern coast of Alaska to try and record the song of the right whale. In 2017, finally the turning point. The researchers were able to listen to one of the whales in real time from the recorders placed on the buoys. Marine biologist Jessica Crance, who worked on the project, recalls that:
“It was great to have confirmation that it was the right whale song: it was a male singing” Males probably sing to try to attract a female:
“With only 30 animals, finding a mate must be difficult,” Crance continued.
Biologists have succeeded in record two distinct chants, similar to songs. Right whales produce a variety of sounds: some resemble shots or shots, others warbling, moaning or screaming. To turn into a song, whale songs must contain a series of repeated sound screens. As Crance explains, the songs of these whales are:
“A series of sounds reproduced in a stereotyped and regular way that are repeated over and over again”.
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Tatiana Maselli
Photo credit NOAA
