50 Maui Ocean Adventures & Whale Watch Magazine
Photos by Marty Wolff
The price of admission? Just dunk your head under
the ocean anywhere in the National Humpback Marine
Sanctuary and get ready for a symphony of sounds that
will tickle your ears.
Did you know male humpback whales emit patterns
of regular and predictable sounds that are remarkably
similar to human musical compositions?
They produce a series of repetitious noises at varying
frequencies, and these sequences are known as whale
songs. Marine biologists say the songs are among
the most complex in the entire animal kingdom.
And although humpback whale songs are famous,
researchers are finding that other species of large whales
also sing complex songs.
Male humpback whales are often heard singing on
calving grounds during the breeding season. Researchers
like Dr. Jim Darling from Whale Trust have studied these
songs in an effort to determine why whales sing.
THE WHALE SONGS
BEGIN EVERY WINTER
ON MAUI WHEN THE
HUMPBACKS ARRIVE.
WHALE SOUNDS
