Humpback Whale Communication

In the first passage titled "What to Do about Underwater Noise" it is stated, "It interfered with their communications and caused them to change their diving and feeding patterns." Since whales interact by sending sound waves to one another the intensity of underwater noise has interfered with the whales' ability to hear each other. Scientists also believe that underwater noise may even

The origin of modern day whales, a mystery that has puzzled paleontologists for years, may have just been solved with the discovery of an ankle bone. This discovery might sound simple and unimportant, but the bones of these ancient animals hold many unanswered questions and provide solid proof of origin and behavior. The relationship between whales and other animals has proven to be difficult because whales are warm-blooded, like humans, yet they live in the sea. The fact that they are warm-blooded suggests that they are related to some type of land animal. However, the questions of exactly which animal, and how whales evolved from land to water, have remained unanswered until now.

There is no doubt that humans have always been intrigued with the majestic beauty of the large giants found in all of the world’s oceans. Whales and people have had a long history together, marked by many turns of events.

The main topic of Whale Talk is violence/ abuse. Chris Crutcher shows this through his imagery, symbols, and theme. He shows this theme vividly throughout the book. Chris also uses many real life references such as people from his life. He also provides some accuracies to his own life.

Recent evidence suggests that whales may not have always inhabited the oceans. Bones of an ancient ancestor of modern day whales, the Basilosaurus, were discovered in Pakistan that suggest whales evolved from a wolf-like creature. This genus of an early whale lived 34-40 million years ago in the late Eocene. These fossils show many different features in common with both modern day whales and modern day land mammals. Since the discovery of these bones, many other evidences show that whales are a likely descendant of the Basilosaurus through many different ways, such as embryologic comparison and DNA testing. Whales aren’t the only suspected descendants

Whales have a different part of the brain than we do to process emotions. So we never know

A young boy sits on the floor gazing up in amusement as his parents tell him stories that have traveled from generation to generation. Whether it be a tale of malicious war or brave acts of heroism, the little boy will always remember the impactful tales. But what about the parents; what is their motive for telling tales to their child? People tell stories for different reasons; a best selling author may write his story to sell books. While a parent tells a story to set their child straight, others simply want the thrill of telling tales of their adventurous life. For The Tao Jones ,or TJ, in Chris Crutcher's Whale Talk, the most impactful story he will hear and tell is his own. Someone might not solely tell their own story but, are also able to tell the story of those around them. Superficially, TJ’s story is one of brutal negativity and oppression. However, beneath the surface TJ and other peoples’ tale, is one of the unbreakable bond of brotherhood, unique self identity, and last chance at redemption.

Killer whales are taken from their mothers at young ages to be put inside training facilities such as Seaworld. Many cry to their families as they are hoisted up into trucks and driven away. Whales are said to have a part of the brain that generates emotion that humans do not have. This is why trainers often form deep connections with the whales they train for several years. Many trainers will say that they are kind and companion like mammals that do not deserve to be locked up for

Marine parks around the world introduce the public to an animal that they would never encounter on their own. Seeing the majestic whales perform and listening to what the trainers share about the killer whale educates large groups of people about killer whales and creates excitement about the wild animal. However, some of the information being shared may not be accurate. Marine parks exist to make a profit. It would be in their best interest to tell the public bits of information that would keep them interested in the illusion created by the performance….that the killer whales are happy,

The dwarf minke whale may be the whale we know the least about of all. These friendly creatures appear every winter for a few months on the outer edges of the Great Barrier Reef. “We know everything there is to know about their habits except where they are the rest of the year and what they are doing while they are there” (Smathers 458). Perhaps because the adults are only about 25 feet long, they are not nearly as famous as blue whales or humpbacks. According to Robert Jones, dwarf minke researchers have a hard time getting donations to cover their expenses (33-35). Felicia Smart wonders if it would be different of they had songs like the humpbacks(volume

One would not think to compare humans with cetaceans such as whales. The cetacean brain is comparable to the size of the human brain, and is as complex as the human brain, although its structure is evolved differently (Sato 1).Whales are similar to humans in that they are able to communicate, have many languages, and learn from one another. “With limited sight and sense of smell in water, marine mammals are more dependent on sound--which travels four times faster in water than air--to communicate” (Keely 1). This means that whales are mainly dependent on sound for things such as communication and echolocation. Echolocation is an important tool whales use to navigate their way around the ocean, and without communication, it is unlikely that whales or any species would survive for long. Whales communicate to find mates, teach their calves, show aggression, show intimacy, and warn others of predators.

Transition: After learning about a dolphin’s sense of communication, we can now build upon this information by examining their unique behavior.

The researchers investigated the origin of high frequency hearing starting with one of the earliest toothed whales, Echovenator Sandersi. They tested whether ultrasonic hearing was observed in the earliest toothed whales and whether this trait evolved before or after the development of toothed whales and echolocation.

Baleen whales will communicate using long very low frequency sounds. Humpback whales communicate using melodic whale songs. These low sounds can be heard many miles away and allow whales to communicate long distances. Which is helpful in keeping track of the other whales when on long trips, looking for a mate, or to let others know of their claimed territory (Whalefacts.org 2015).

Dunlop (2016) another study involving humpback whales compared the effects of natural sounds (wind) to vessel noise. The distance of humpback whale hearing is unknown, which makes long distance studies like these harder to analyze. The previous humpback whale studies mentioned focused on humpback whale songs sung by males. Humpback whales also use acoustic signals to communicate with one another in other ways such as keeping track of their group members or identifying a stranger and predators, or just general social interaction. This study is one of the few studies comparing behavioral responses to natural sound and anthropogenic noise. As I have mentioned earlier, vessel noise is identified as the main noise contributor. This study also mentions this aspect stating that the broadband signals from vessels overlaps with baleen whale frequencies. This study compared their results to other studies where they found that whales increase the level of their sounds in vessel noise. Instead this study found humpback to increase their sound when the wind was louder, but never when vessel noise was louder. This could mean that the whales are unable to cope with increasing vessel noise as they do with increasing wind noise. The vessel noise is a negative disturbance whereas wind can be overcome in order it communicate