by Betty Carew

Created on: July 03, 2009   Last Updated: July 04, 2009

Humpback whales are well known for their beautiful, magical songs. These songs travel over very great distances in the oceans of the world. The sounds consist of moans, howls, cries and other sounds that become quite complex. These sounds can sometimes carry on for hours on end leaving scientist studying them to try and decipher their meanings. It is thought that the sound the humpback whale makes is used for communication with others. Here are some facts about humpback whale songs.

Fact 1- A typical song of the hump whale can last from 10 to 20 minutes.

Fact 2- A humpback whales songs can vary from year to year.

Fact 3- Only male humpback whales are the main singer although the females are capable of singing.

Fact 4- Whales that inhabit the same waters sing the same songs.

Fact 5- During mating a humpback whales song can be heard over 20 miles away.

Fact 6- Humpback whales of both sexes make social sounds.

How humpbacks make sound

Unlike humans who produce sound by expelling air through the larynx but the humpback produces sound in a very different way. The multiple sounds are produced by passing air through a structure in their heads in which they pass air. When this air passes through what is called the phonic lip membranes they are sucked together causing the surrounding tissue to vibrate. These vibrations can be consciously controlled with sensitivity. These vibrations pass through the tissue that's in the head. This shapes and directs the sound into a beam sound for echolocation. This air goes from the phonic lips to the vestibular sac. Once this happens the air can be recycled back into the lower part of the nasal complex ready to be used again.

Complex songs

The song of the humpback whale is thought to be the most complex in the animal kingdom. The male humpback only produces this song during the mating season so it is assumed that this use is for mating purposes only. However it is not known if these songs are to attract a mate, defining territory or just a flirting behavior.

Sound frequencies

The songs of the humpback follow a hierarchical structure. The notes are single uninterrupted emissions of sounds that can last up to a few seconds. They vary in frequency and can go from 20Hz to 10Hz which conveys information over a carrier wave by carrying its frequency. The sound may go up higher or lower. Researchers have found that that the adjustment on the bandwidth on a spectrogram representation of the song revealed the essential pulse nature

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