A very unusual sighting has been noted by marine biologists as they have recorded the song of the world’s rarest whale i.e. North Pacific right male, for the first time.
Reportedly, researchers at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) used moored acoustic recorders to capture repeated patterns of calls made by these rare male North Pacific right whales. These whales are said to be fewer than thirty in number.
It is known to be the first time that any population of right whales have sung a song and researchers have found four distinct songs over the course of eight years at five locations in Alaska, according to reports.
According to a researcher, NOAA heard weird noises from whales which weren’t typically regular in the year 2010. But they finally figured out about the right male whale when they heard the songs in real time from the acoustic recorders on buoys.
It was great to finally get the confirmation when we were out at sea that yes, it is a right whale, and it’s a male that’s singing.
Apparently, the right whales make a variety of sounds which can range from a moan to a scream to a warble and to be a song it has to be a rhythmically patterned series of units produced in a consistent manner. The researchers have assumed that the male whales have sung the songs as a cry to attract their female counterpart. There has been no evidence of a female right whale as yet.
With only 30 animals, finding a mate must be difficult. Lone male right whales tend to gunshot more frequently than females. Perhaps the 2:1 male ratio in the North Pacific has led to our males singing to attract females. But we may never be able to test that or know for sure.
The North Atlantic right males were severely hunted by Americans before its ban in 1930. This has led to their extinction.