Listen to humpback whale songs. | Nature | PBS

Scientists have observed that blue whale songs have dropped by nearly 40%, a troubling shift in one of the ocean’s most iconic sounds. For the largest animals on Earth, vocalization isn’t random—it’s closely tied to feeding success and overall energy levels. When krill—their primary food source—is abundant, blue whales sing more frequently and for longer periods. But when food becomes scarce, they conserve energy, and their songs grow quieter. The recent decline in vocalizations suggests whales

Blue whale vocalizations are very low frequency sounds with some in the 15 Hz range. These tones characteristically travel long distances due to the high power, but also due to very long-wavelengths (over 300 feet for 15 Hz). This enables their songs to be heard thousands of miles from the source. We can assume that the projection distance is important (Nature can be extravagant, but she is never wasteful), but we can only speculate why they need to broadcast their songs across ocean basins. The

sound on! 🔉 that means ‘happy world whale day’ in whale 🐋💙 Whales noises are complex clicks used for important functions like echolocation, finding food, and communication about things like mating and emotional states! The sequences of clicks they use to communicate and identify one another are called codas, and it’s thought that each whale has their own unique vocalization pattern. Their clicks can be louder than 200 decibels—that’s like standing near a rocket at takeoff. Though sound travel