The main way a whale communicates is by sound. Toothed whales, such as dolphins, beluga whales and porpoises use a series of high-pitched clicks, whistles and rattling. Many of the sounds are at such a high frequency, we can't hear them. The sounds are produced in a cavity within the whale's head and come out of the blowhole. Toothed whales also use sound for echolocation. The whales use short clicks and listen to the "echoes" the sound makes when it bounces off an object. This helps them find food and navigate their way around the dark ocean waters. Baleen whales are the large whales of the ocean. They communicate by producing low moanings, grunts and thumps. The baleen whale's sounds can travel through the ocean for hundreds of miles. A humpback whale makes a series of low-frequency sounds known as a whale song. The song is sung by the male humpbacks, mainly in breeding areas. The males may be singing to attract a mate, challenge another male or announce its location.
Whales Communicate With Body Language
Whales also use body language to communicate. A sudden burst through the whale's spout may signal a warning to another whale. A whale might also slap its pectoral flippers or fluke to show excitement or aggression. Male humpbacks will use head butts with other males to compete for a female. Some whales will leap out of the water before flipping sideways and splashing into the water. This display, known as "breaching," can show a whale's strength or to communicate over a long distance. The whales also might breech to scare or stun fish, or to slough off dead skin when it lands into the water.
Ocean Noise May be Interfering With Whale Communication
There is a concern that the increase in ocean noise may be interfering with marine mammals' ability to communicate. The National Research Council, concerned about how little is known about the effects of ocean noise, produced a report calling for federal funding for research on the subject. There seems to be a correlation between an increase of injury of beaked whales near naval sonar use.
