Search is on for 'world's loneliest whale'

[Still Waters]

Next fall, a team of documentary filmmakers and scientists will head out into the North Pacific in search of a whale.

They know which whale they’ll be looking for, although nobody is completely sure what species it is. It may be a blue whale, is more likely a fin, but could be a hybrid of the two. No human has knowingly set eyes on it, although quite a few have been listening to it for over 20 years.

http://www.foxnews.c...een-only-heard/

[StarMountainKid]

Interesting. I feel in sympathy with this whale, as usually no one listens to me either.

[woopypooky]

bone stuck inside the vocal chord maybe?

[shrooma]

Next fall, a team of documentary filmmakers and scientists will head out into the North Pacific in search of a whale.

No human has knowingly set eyes on it,

.

i'm sure the japanese would have no trouble finding it at all.....

.

[wuhugm]

It's in their stomach already

[shrooma]

QUOTE-

"While most whales communicate at a frequency of between 17 and 18 Hertz, this particular specimen caught the attention of researchers because it was communicating at 52 Hertz.

Whether due to a malformation or

otherwise, this anomalous frequency means that the whale's calls will never be picked up by other whales, earning it the nickname 'world's loneliest whale'.

Is he alone? I don’t know. People like to imagine this creature just out there swimming by his lonesome, just singing away and nobody’s listening.

But I can’t say that."

.

how do we know it can't be heard? just because it's singing outside the normal frequency range doesn't necessarily mean it's singing outside whales' hearing frequency range.

humans can hear in a range of between 20-20,000Hz, which is a pretty big range- 18,000Hz, and who can say whales can't hear a similarly broad range?

18-52Hz is only a range of 34Hz after all, miniscule really, and the effect to hearing would be that the whale was singing in a slightly high-pitched voice, like david beckham.

for all we know, he/she might not be lonely at all, but surrounded by a host of adoring fans due to its unusual vocal stylings, like michael jackson was, and i for one hope they are!

[pallidin]

I would agree with shrooma. This is far from definitive(with respect to no other whales hearing that frequency)

Edited July 19, 2013 by pallidin

[Mr.United_Nations]

Isn't there a picture of him or her? recently? near Vancouver? or Seattle?

[shrooma]

found this article about the same story-

.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1361873/Everybody-hertz-The-heartbroken-whale-sings-low-hear.html

.

and BOY have the daily mail dropped the ball on this one.

their article states that the whale sings too low for the other whales to hear her (they DEFINITELY say it's female), and that the problem will only get worse over time as her voice will deepen with age.

which will come as a bit of a suprise to scientists who've always assumed that a higher frequency gives a higher pitched note, not a lower one, and with the whale singing at 52Hz instead of the usual 18, then the problem, you would've thought, could only IMPROVE with age as its voice becomes deeper, not worsen!

but who are we to argue with the staff writers at the Daily Fail eh?

.

(oh, and you can't post a comment explaining this to them as they've closed the comment section of the story.

i checked.)

Edited July 19, 2013 by shrooma

[Enchntress]

I sure hope that this whale has company. It makes me terribly sad to think of him/her out there singing away all by themselves.

Looking forward to more info this fall.

[d e v i c e]

He'll be okay. He's made the right choice by not getting emotionally entangled with these other whales.

[ash68]

I'm sure he can be heard by the others,you'll notice them trying to put their fins over their ears when he talks

[Artaxerxes]

Probably a hybrid between two different species of whale. Hybrid whales are quite common. Whales are a very sexually aggressive animal just like dolphins. The genetic mixture might have affected the vocal chords or whatever it is that Whales use to produce the sounds they make.

[Yamato]

The Japanese would have to do research on how loneliness effects flavor and consider other options if it's delicious.

[ReaperS_ParadoX]

QUOTE-

"While most whales communicate at a frequency of between 17 and 18 Hertz, this particular specimen caught the attention of researchers because it was communicating at 52 Hertz.

Whether due to a malformation or

otherwise, this anomalous frequency means that the whale's calls will never be picked up by other whales, earning it the nickname 'world's loneliest whale'.

Is he alone? I don't know. People like to imagine this creature just out there swimming by his lonesome, just singing away and nobody's listening.

But I can't say that."

.

how do we know it can't be heard? just because it's singing outside the normal frequency range doesn't necessarily mean it's singing outside whales' hearing frequency range.

humans can hear in a range of between 20-20,000Hz, which is a pretty big range- 18,000Hz, and who can say whales can't hear a similarly broad range?

18-52Hz is only a range of 34Hz after all, miniscule really, and the effect to hearing would be that the whale was singing in a slightly high-pitched voice, like david beckham.

for all we know, he/she might not be lonely at all, but surrounded by a host of adoring fans due to its unusual vocal stylings, like michael jackson was, and i for one hope they are!

NUFF SAID