animalphiles

Scientists decode whale "talk"

From Reuters:
Australian scientists studying humpback whales sounds say they have begun to decode the whale's mysterious communication system, identifying male pick-up lines and motherly warnings.    

Wops, thwops, grumbles and squeaks are part of the extensive whale repertoire recorded by scientists from the University of Queensland working on the Humpback Whale Acoustic Research Collaboration (HARC) project.

Recording whale sounds over a three-year period, scientists discovered at least 34 different types of whale calls, with data published in the Journal of the Acoustical Society of America.

"I was expecting to find maybe 10 different social vocalizations, but in actual fact found 34. It's just such a wide, varied repertoire," University of Queensland researcher Rebecca Dunlop told Reuters.

The researchers studied migrating east humpback whales, as they traveled up and down Australia's east coast, and recorded 660 sounds from 61 different groups.

Researchers attached audio transmitters to buoys near the whales and monitored the whale interaction from the shore.

Many of the whale sounds could overlap in meaning, said Dunlop, but some had clear meanings.

A purr by males appeared to signify the male was trying his luck to mate a desirable female. High frequency cries and screams were associated with disagreements, when males jostled to escort females during migration, she said.

Baby orca source of international controvery

The fate of an orphaned killer whale is at the heart of a dispute between her caretakers and some animal rights activists. At issue: whether she should stay in Mexico or be transferred to Sea World in San Diego.

The orca, named Pascuala, has been living at Vallarta Adventure Park since she was found bleeding on a Mexican beach about a month ago. Trainers and vets have been feeding her milk through a tube around the clock.

She is getting healthier and the park's owners want to send her to Sea World San Diego. Pascuala's caretakers say there simply isn't a tank in Mexico big enough to hold her when she grows up, and they fear she has become so dependent on humans for feeding, that she will die if released into the wild.

Some environmentalists contend sending the orca to the U.S. would set a dangerous precedent and open up the possibility of enabling animal traffickers to export killer whales. "It hurts us that this animal might die, but we cannot set a negative precedent," said Alejandro Olivera, head of ocean campaigns for Greenpeace in Mexico.

If Mexico refuses the transfer to Sea World, Pascuala could be released into the ocean. Scientists would have to find Pascuala's family pod and hope it would accept her.
photo:Reuters/Andrew Winning

Baby orca in Puget Sound

From Seattlepi.com
The killer whale never seems more misnamed as when a new baby orca arrives on the scene, as one did north of Puget Sound this week.

It's pinkish and smiley. It's stuck to its momma's side, rising in and out of the waves like a shiny merry-go-round creature.

"This guy, he couldn't have been older than 4 days old," said Dave Ellifrit, research assistant at the Center for Whale Research in Friday Harbor, who confirmed the new arrival with a photo snapped Wednesday off the west coast of San Juan Island. "Mom's going to keep it close for a little while. Once it gets older, it gets more adventurous."

Scientists won't know if the calf is a male or female until it rolls over and shows its belly.

The orca population in the Sound is estimated at 87. Officials hope to boost it to a more sustainable 120 animals.
Dave Ellifrit / Center for Whale Research

Oceanography: Narwhals put their backs into it

Three deep-diving arctic whales are helping scientists collect data on one of the most remote and inhospitable places on Earth.  The narwhals have been equipped with sophisticated satellite transmitters, attached to their backs, to send data on water temperatures between Greenland and Canada.

University of Washington marine biologist Kristin Laidre says, "In a way, we've converted these animals into oceanographers. We're not only learning about their ecology and biology, but we're collecting data that can be useful for bigger-picture climate change questions."    

The whales are collecting data about Baffin Bay, their winter habitat between northeast Canada and Greenland.  Laidre said there had been essentially no such data on this region from wintertime, when it is covered in ice and impassable to ships. It is an important link in global ocean circulation and a good place to detect ocean changes in due to climate change.

The whales thrive in these winter conditions. They dive to depths of 1.1 miles to feed on Greenland halibut, a deep-water flatfish living on bottom of Baffin Bay.

The devices placed on their backs record water temperatures at various depths and track narwhal movements and diving behavior, adding to the understanding of these elusive whales. The devices transmit 400 readings a day, gather "fantastic data" according to Laidre.

The world narwhal population is close to 100,000, with about 50,000 to 70,000 in the Baffin Bay area.
They grow to about 16 feet long, with their distinctive tusk adding up to 9 feet more.    

The aim is to equip eight to 10 whales with the recording devices.
Photo: Kristin Laidre/University of Washington

Seeking protection for beluga whales

Belugas are a small whale with a big problem - they are facing extinction. The National Marine Fisheries Service wants the government to put the whales on the federal Endangered Species list.

"There are few places in the world like Anchorage where a species of whale is as visible, enthralling and accessible as the Cook Inlet beluga," said Mike Frank, attorney for Trustees for Alaska, which represented a dozen conservation groups who have petitioned to get the whales protected. He told Associated Press, "we need to do all we can to make sure that continues in the future."

Beluga whales are extremely social and found in groups of between 10 and several hundred. The Cook Inlet numbers have dwindled to about 300. The fisheries service says that group has a 26% chance of becoming extinct in the next 100 years. That risk goes up if a mass stranding or an oil spill takes place.

The listing for the Cook Inlet belugas means more scrutiny will be paid when federal permits are sought for activities, such as oil and gas development and coal mining, to make sure those activities will not impede the whales' recovery.
photo: Ansgar Walk

The squid and the whale - a dance of prey and predator

Sperm whales are the largest predators in the world. And their favorite prey is pretty hefty as well. Jumbo squid grow up to six feet long and 100 pounds. Scientists are getting new insignt into the interaction of the two thanks to a bit of serendipity.

Two teams of scientists were working separately, tagging squid and whales in the Gulf of California.  They got together for dinner and decided to start a joint project - monitoring the predator and prey simultaneously.

Squid prefer deep water, but move closer to the surface at night, probably following their own food source. Scientists believe these surface waters are uncomfortably hot for the squid, and they often make rapid dives to the same depths the sperm whales are hanging out in. Scientists say, for the squids it's like jumping out of the frying pan into the fryer (or rather into the maws of the whales). Read more at LiveScience.com.
photo: Nathalie Jaquet

Blue whale recordings offer great insight

Using a variety of new approaches, scientists at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego are forging a new understanding of the largest mammals on Earth - the blue whale.

Researchers used a combination of techniques to show for the first time that blue whale calls can be tied to specific behavior and gender classifications. In a separate study, researchers used recordings of blue whale songs to determine the animal's population distributions worldwide.

While the specific function of songs and calls produced by whales remains a mystery to a large degree, the sounds are thought to mediate social interactions between the animals.

The first study, led by Scripps postdoctoral researcher Erin Oleson and Scripps scientist John Hildebrand, describes the behavioral context of calls produced by eastern North Pacific blue whales. Few researchers have attempted to link sound production with specific behaviors or environmental conditions to attempt to determine the significance of whale calls.

Oleson hopes such call and behavior information will eventually be used for better understanding whale habitats and calculating species abundances.

The second study, published in a recent issue of the Journal of Cetacean Research Management, describes the first attempt at determining worldwide blue whale populations by analyzing nuances of their songs.   

Scientists used acoustic recordings from around the world to create a new map that geographically categorizes blue whale species types into nine regions around the world based on their song "dialects."

 Read more from the Scripps Institute.  You can hear the call of the blue whale and other species at voicesinthesea.org

K-Pod moves south

A pod of killer whales that usually hangs out in Washington's Puget Sound is now being spotted much further south, near San Francisco. Researchers say that shows dwindling salmon stocks are forcing the endangered orcas to move in search of food.

The Center for Whale Research says this shows that habitat critical to the orcas' survival is not just in the inland waters of Washington, but extends along the Oregon and California coast, so "protected" areas need to be expanded. Read more in the CWR's press release.

Easing sonar threat for whales

The California Coastal Commission wants to impose strict controls on the U.S. Navy to protect whales and other marine life from high-powered sonar during training exercises. The commission also wants the Navy to take precautions with explosives, mine drops and missile launches from ships, submarines, helicopters, airplanes and amphibious vehicles.

If the Navy does not agree to the terms, the state could argue in court that the military is threatening resources protected by state law.

Scientists believe whales rely on sonar to navigate, find food and communicate, and high-intensity man-made noise can interfere. Gray, blue and humpback whales, dolphins and porpoises live in California waters.

Cook Inlet belugas on the decline

A population of beluga whales that make their home in Alaska's Cook Inlet is at considerable risk of extinction according to a new study by the National Marine Mammal Lab.

Scientists aren't sure why the numbers are declining, but say the Cook Inlet group could be wiped out within 100 years. Severe restrictions on subsistance harvesting in place since 1999 have not reversed the drop in numbers, which is about five percent each year.

The National Marine Fisheries Service is expected to decide by April whether to seek more protection for the whales under the federal Endangered Species Act. See the research on the Alaska Fisheries Science Center Web site.