Scientists at the University of Queensland in Australia have discovered that humpback whales in New Caledonia learn the songs sung by other humpback whales living off the east coast of Australia. And no matter how complicated the melodies are , the cetaceans reproduce them with great precision. Dr Jenny Allen, who is doing her PhD at the University of Queensland’s veterinary school, said this is indicative of “a level of cultural transmission higher than any observed non-human species”.
The study analyzed in depth the song patterns of male humpback whales ( Megaptera novaeangliae ) in each area between 2009 and 2015. The idea was to examine how songs were transmitted between the two populations. To determine the complexity of the songs, the researchers took into account both the number of sounds the whales made and the length of the sound patterns.
“By listening to the Australian population of humpback whales, we were able to see if the songs changed in any way when sung by New Caledonian whales,” Allen said. “We found that they actually learned the exact sounds, without simplifying or omitting anything .”
“Every year we watched them they sang a different song, so it means that humpback whales can learn an entire song pattern from another population very quickly, even if it’s complex or difficult,” Allen said.
Researchers believe that whales learn songs when they share migration routes and feeding grounds, such as Antarctica. “It is rare that this degree of cultural exchange is documented on such a large scale in a non-human species,” Allen said. “We hope that these findings will provide a model for further studying the evolution of cultural communication in animals and humans.”
The humpback whale is not currently on the endangered species list (it was in the past). However, the researcher stated that their populations still need to be managed and the findings discovered could be of help. “In-depth knowledge of a species is known to greatly improve the effectiveness of conservation and management methods,” Allen said. “We now have a more holistic picture of the behaviors, movements and interactions of the various populations of humpback whales, including how they transmit culture. This means we are better equipped to protect them from the many threats they face as they the climate and the planet continue to change.”
The research is the result of a collaboration with Opération Cétacés of New Caledonia and has been recently published in the journal Scientific Reports .
Singing Humpback Whales
Humpback whales and other whale species sing when they force air through their nasal cavities. Both females and males can do it. However, they are the ones who sing long songs, which can last up to 20 minutes and are composed of a wide variety of low tones. Humpback whales have been documented singing non-stop for 24 hours .
And what do the songs mean? At the moment, scientists do not know the answer. They could serve to attract females, challenge males or as a way of echolocation to find food.
Reference:
Allen, J.A., Garland, E.C., Garrigue, C. et al. 2022. Song complexity is maintained during inter-population cultural transmission of humpback whale songs. Scientific Reports. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-12784-3
Oceanwide Expeditions. https://oceanwide-expeditions.com/es/destacados/vida-silvestre/ballena-jorobada
