[Animals] Humpback whales 'inherit' their language to other cetaceans through song

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Male humpback whales are capable of learning incredibly complex songs to communicate with their mates, mates, and families.
It happened between the waves of Australia. A team of scientists recorded, over 6 years, the behavior of male humpback whales. After hours of close observation, the researchers realized that these cetaceans are capable of learning incredibly complex songs from a very young age. Whether it's to find their babies, communicate with their mates, or find their way home, these animals memorize vibrations and 'words' that form complete pieces.

Not only that. According to the study, recently published in Scientific Reports, humpback whales share their songs with other groups of cetaceans. Specifically, the behavior was observed between Australian and New Caledonian po[CENSORED]tions. Scientists are convinced that this is an example of how other species are capable of cultivating and transmitting culture, even between different groups. That's how it works.

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A song that crosses the seas

One of the findings that most impressed the research team was that humpback whale songs can travel miles. Beneath the waves, the vibrations they emit reach remarkable distances to reach their companions, explains Jenny Allen, leader of the research:

"THIS INDICATES A LEVEL OF COMMUNICATION HIGHER THAN THOSE OBSERVED UNTIL NOW IN ANY NON-HUMAN SPECIES", EXPLAINS THE AUTHOR IN A COMMUNICATION. "OTHER THAN HUMANS, THIS IS REALLY THE ONLY EXAMPLE WE HAVE OF CULTURAL TRANSMISSION HAPPENING OVER THOUSANDS OF MILES."

From the results of the study, the researchers think that this behavior is passed down from generation to generation. For this reason, one can speak of a cultural fabric between various species of cetaceans, they write in the study.

Even despite the complexity of each 'piece' or 'song', whales of other species and other po[CENSORED]tion groups also learn these communication patterns—almost as if they were learning a new language. "[...] we found that the New Caledonian specimens learn the exact sounds, without simplifying or omitting anything," says Allen.

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The song that drowns in the marine traffic

Another of the main findings of the study, by the University of Queensland (UQ) and is the result of collaboration with other Australian, New Caledonian and English universities, is that the transmission of knowledge occurs in specific areas. Many of them are linked to the feeding, breeding and migration of humpback whales. One of the richest is Antarctica.

However, this cultural fabric is being disturbed by human activity. Currently, as a result of excessive industrial fishing, its songs are suffocated by the traffic of large-scale boats. The silence that they enjoyed in the seas for millennia is disturbed by noise pollution on their migratory routes, which often causes them to lose their way.

Unable to communicate with their relatives and other close members of their groups, humpback whales seem to emit songs into the void. Just as it happens to us human beings, in an environment where there is a lot of noise, it is impossible for them to understand what their colleagues and family members are saying to them. Human beings, therefore, are the biggest threat to the songs of humpback whales, on a planet that is getting hotter, noisier and less suitable for cultural transmission.

https://www.ngenespanol.com/animales/las-ballenas-jorobadas-heredan-sus-canciones-a-otros-cetaceos/