Singing whales bag more mates

Male humpback whales who sing during their migration to their summer feeding grounds end up attracting more mates compared to males who don’t sing, a new study by Australian researchers from the University of Sydney has revealed.

As part of their study, Michael Noad and his colleagues tracked a population of humpback whales during their annual migration from low-latitude breeding areas to the Antarctic feeding grounds.

The researchers used hydrophones to capture the whale songs, and along with land-based observations, calculated the swimming speed and singing status of each whale. Findings revealed while non-singing whales averaged four kilometres per hour, singers - which are always male - moseyed along at only 2.5 kmph. Though a few singers were clocked at around 15 km/h, showing that it’s not impossible to sing and swim fast, researchers believe slowing down could be a strategy to let the singer be heard by a procession of passing females. "It’s a strategy to squeeze a bit more breeding into the season. — ANI

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