CURRENT WHALE SONG RESEARCH
Whales, known for their extensive migrations across oceans, serve as a unifying force among nations and cultures. At Whale Trust, our ongoing collaboration with partners from across the Pacific Ocean focuses on studying humpback whale songs. Through this work, we aim to explore the similarities and differences in these songs. Below, you’ll find details on two of our current key research projects that shed light on the fascinating world of humpback whales.
SONG FUNCTION IN HAWAII
Starting in the 1980s Whale Trust researchers have conducted studies on singers that provide insight into the function of humpback whale song. These include determination of the sex of singers (all males), the sex of whales that join singers (males), and the study of interactions of singers and ex-singers with other social groups including females.
More recently, we have been investigating the hypothesis that the song may, among other things, serve as an index of association between males – and may facilitate a degree of cooperation in mating situations. This work involves testing predictions to determine if the hypothesis is useful or not. For example, if it is correct:
- The song should be more similar the closer the males are to each other,
- Whales should respond differently to similar songs than they do to different songs, and…
- Some degree of cooperation amongst males should be apparent in interactions around estrous females. We are addressing each of these with studies.
Learn more about song function and these predictions on our Why Do Humpback Whales Sing? page.
SONG COMPARISONS THROUGHOUT THE NORTH PACIFIC
Well known for migrating across entire ocean basins, whales bring countries and cultures together. For years now, Whale Trust has partnered with colleagues from across the Pacific Ocean to monitor and track similarities and differences in humpback whale song.
The first stage of this study compared same season songs (2006) from Japan, the Philippines, and Hawaii and found that while the songs shared some common themes, those recorded in the closer regions of Japan and the Philippines were far more similar to each other than to the more distant samples recorded in Hawaii.1
This led to a much larger, 3-year, four location study. From 2011-2013, Whale Trust led a collaborative project to examine and analyze the similarities, differences, and dynamics of change in the composition of songs between humpbacks in Hawaii, Mexico, Japan, and the Philippines. This study indicated – through the comparison of song composition – there is ongoing, but annually variable, mixing of humpback whale populations across the North Pacific.2
A new collaborative comparison of songs across the North Pacific began in Fall 2023 and will continue through 2026. Building on the last North Pacific song study led by Whale Trust in 2011-2013, this one will compare songs across both humpback whale feeding and breeding grounds.
The current study will compare songs collected from Central America, Mexico, California, British Columbia, Alaska, Hawaii, Northern Japan, Southern Japan, and the Philippines, including subregions within the larger locales. For example, it will look at three different locations within Mexico and three within southern Japan.
It will now include the study of seasonal changes of the song in one location versus other locations, and compare songs from fall feeding grounds in northern latitudes to lower-latitude breeding grounds.
Our partners include:
- Manami Yamaguchi (Japan; Ogasawara Marine Center)
- Nozomi Kobayashi (Japan; Okinawa Churashima Foundation)
- Jo Marie Acebes (Philippines; BALYENA)
- Jorge Urban (Mexico; Universidad Autónoma de Baja California Sur, La Paz)
- Oscar Frey (Mexico; Deep Blue Conservancy)
- Joelle De Weerdt (Nicaragua; Vrije Universiteit Brussel)
- Chris Gabriele (USA; Glacier Bay National Park)
References
- Darling, J.D., Acebes, J.M.V., and Yamaguchi, M. 2014. Similarity yet a range of differences between humpback whale songs recorded in the Philippines, Japan and Hawaii in 2006. Aquat Biol. 21, 93-107. (Download PDF)
- Darling, J.D., Acebes, J.M.V., Frey, O., Urbán, R.J., and Yamaguchi, M. 2019. Convergence and divergence of songs suggests ongoing, but annually variable, mixing of humpback whale populations throughout the North Pacific. Sci Rep. 9, 7002. (Download PDF)
