Ecology
A team of scientists sets out to find the world's loneliest whale living in the North Pacific Ocean.
No one has ever seen the animal, but researchers have been hearing its plaintive song for over 20 years.
The unknown whale is called lonely because it communicates at a frequency that is not used by other whales, and it does not receive feedback from others.
The history of the whale dates back to the late 1980s, when the US Navy provided researchers with recordings of hydrophones that caught baleen whales moaning in search of a mate, heard through hundreds kilometers.
Whale songs
In 1989, researcher William Watkins of the Woods Hall Oceanographic Institution was listening to the tapes and noticed something unusual.
While most male blue whales and fin whales had a frequency of 17-18 Hz, which the human ear does not perceive, one whale made sounds in the much wider 52 Hz range.
Later, other recordings of 52 Hertz sounds appeared, and Watkins began to study this whale in more detail, trying to track its movement in the North Pacific Ocean during the mating season . The fact is that whales usually “sing” only during the mating season. Thanks to his unique voice properties, it was easier for scientists to track his movements.
The incredible abilities of blue whales
As the researchers explained, it is very difficult to follow a whale in the ocean without seeing it, as these animals emit signals at the same frequency, and it is difficult to identify individual whales.
Whale sounds
You can listen to the lone whale here. You can also compare it to the sounds of blue whales.
Keith became the subject of media attention and was called “the loneliest whale in the world” because his high-frequency song did not receive feedback from other whales.
Scientists don't know what a whale might look like or whether it has an unusual appearance, but it is likely that it is healthy, having lived for at least 20 years.
How do scientists monitor whales in the Pacific Ocean?
Is he really alone? Here, too, it is impossible to give a definite answer. As a rule, people imagine this creature floating alone in the ocean, singing a sad song that no one hears.
Researchers will go in search of a lonely whale, about which a documentary will be filmed, next fall.
The biggest whale in the world (video)
The largest whale, as well as the largest animal in the world, the blue or blue whale, can reach 33 meters in length and weigh 200 tons.