We can distinguish several kinds of sound, the so-called "social sounds", "communicative sounds between mothers and calves", the "feeding siren" or call" done in the feeding grounds, and the classic "whalesongs" we are engaged with. With all the studies being done each year, perhaps even more types will be uncovered!
- social sounds
These are short, quick sounds which can hardly be heard (or not heard at all!) under water with the human ear. These sounds can only be picked up with special hydrophones which would have to be close to the whales and pointed directly at them. The social sounds are used to communicate, especially when they travel slowly on the surface or when resting - but not when traveling at higher speeds. The majority of this kind of communication (85%) takes place between mothers and their calves, according to Dr. Marsha Green, but another example may be whales within a group communicating with each other.
- whalesongs
It has been defined that only the humpback whale males are singing. Unlike a pop song with a melody, a whalesong is more like a string of different sounds in different pitches that can sound like humming, snoring, groaning, sighing or chirping. Similar to classical music, a whalesong consists of different themes which develop and build over the years. The whale songs can even be heard from a distance of 100 miles or more. The whales are singing mainly in their breeding grounds or on the way from or to their feeding grounds in cooler waters. Although whale singing has been heard in the feeding grounds up north, other communicative sounds are much more common and are currently being studied. Perhaps we will be able to install a hydrophone in Alaska one day to learn more about that.
