Jaime Ruiz

Bio-communication of Whales

• A whale song is the creation of a pattern predictable of sounds made by a whale (some species of baleen whales) such as the humpback whale in which the pattern resembles the sounds of a song.

• They can be heard many miles away and may go on for hours or even days.

• Another surprising fact is that at any given moment all males in a group will sing the same version of a song even when separated over large distances.

Basic information about whale songs.

Echolocation

• Toothed whales (including dolphins) have developed a remarkable sensory ability used for locating food and for navigation underwater called echolocation. • Toothed whales produce a variety of sounds by moving air between

air-spaces or sinuses in the head. • Sounds are reflected or echoed back from objects, and these are

thought to be received by an oil filled channel in the lower jaw and conducted to the middle ear of the animal.

• There are 33 known species of marine dolphins and another four species of dolphins that live in both the ocean and in rivers.• Killer whales are the largest

members of the dolphin family. Some can grow to a length of 32 feet and weigh as much as nine tons.

Toothed Whales

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTEvEE6fq6k

Bottlenose Dolphin and Orca sounds

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nTXG105QrWI

Porpoises

Harbor Porpoise Vaquita Porpoise

The Vaquita porpoise is critically endangered. Spanish for “little cow”, there is an estimated 100 to 300 individuals alive today. Only exists in the Gulf of California.

Vaquita Porpoise

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9MhjOQVq_Xw

Porpoise Sounds

The Baleen whales are best known for their bio-communications and the Humpback whale is the most famous. Its songs are melodic and can travel miles away in the water.

Baleen Whales

The humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) is a species of baleen whale. One of the larger rorqual species, adults range in length from 39-52ft and weigh approximately 40 tons. However the largest Humpback was female and found killed in the Carribean and it was 88ft long and weighed about 90 tons.

Humpback Whales

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xo2bVbDtiX8

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K0fa_QCu2K0

Humpback songs

The blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus) is a marine mammal belonging to the suborder of baleen whales (called Mysticeti). At 98 ft in length and 170 tons or more in weight, it is the largest known animal to have ever existed. Blue whales can be found in all oceans.

Blue Whale

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0M89w2DsKOQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wgDoNYYL5hU

Blue whale songs